Survive
by redvelvetcheesecake
Summary: Scott and his pack have suffered great losses at the hands of the nogitsune. Their struggles continue with the threat of the Benefactor and the unstable Kate Argent. A family matter further complicates Scott's life. The list that changed everything has got everyone focused on one task - survive.
1. Guardian

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 1: Guardian **

Scott McCall hiked up the trail to their usual meeting point. The crunching of his shoes against the snow sounded harsh and foreign in the quiet woods. The moon shone brightly through the tree branches, casting dark shadows that resembled clawed, skinny hands. He started to run. He couldn't be late, couldn't risk missing her. His heart hammered in his chest, a sense of urgency pushing his tired legs forward until he reached the clearing.

She wasn't there yet. Scott took a deep breath and told himself she would come. This was their place - their haven where they spent so many nights together enjoying the peace of the night, looking out at the sleeping little town they called home. He stepped closer towards the edge of the cliff and waited, watching the faraway lights.

"Scott," she called out to him.

Her voice sounded the same as always, as if time could not tarnish his memory. it was nothing like the last time he really heard it - thin and raspy from dwindling energy. No, this voice was whole. He turned around to face her, a pit in his stomach rapidly forming, spreading wildly like fire. It felt like his whole body ached when he saw her.

Their eyes met like old friends and her lips curved slightly into a smile. The moonlight made her pale skin glow, contrasting her long dark hair beautifully against her bare shoulders. She walked towards him with silent steps, the skirt of her powder blue dress brushing against her knees. The sight of her filled Scott with grief, but he couldn't look at her enough. He was scared to even blink for fear of losing her in an instant.

"I've missed you so much," she said calmly as she stopped inches away from him.

"I've missed you, too. You have no idea," he replied with some difficulty, tears forming in his eyes. He willed himself to breathe properly, to be strong, to not let his pain break him apart. He tried imagining his emotions as tangible objects that he could lock away in little boxes. He needed control.

She tilted her head slightly in confusion. Her hand reached out to touch his face, and he braced himself for the nothingness he knew he would feel. Her touch was gentle, warm. He closed his eyes and tried to cherish this impossible feat. He wanted to touch her hand, hold it, feel its warmth against his, to know she was real, but his body was frozen, and all he could do was let her brush away his rebellious tears.

"I did something bad," he confessed to her like a small child to his mother. He opened his eyes and saw understanding in hers.

"You bit him," she said bluntly, as if she were stating a less-than-life-changing fact. She dropped her hand from his face to Scott's dismay.

"I didn't want to, I swear. But I had to or he would've died. It was either change him or kill him," he said in a steady voice.

He had to make her understand. She had to know he never would have done it if there was another option.

"It's okay, Scott. This is how it had to happen."

Scott searched her face for answers. She was as beautiful as ever and he wanted to desperately wrap her in his arms, to feel the beat of her heart telling him that she somehow survived, that she just needed a break from the supernatural mess they called life and that she was ready to come back and protect their home with him and their friends again.

"What if he dies? What if his body rejects the bite?" he asked, his stubborn arms glued in place at his sides.

"It won't," she said prophetically.

He paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. She spoke the truth, he knew it.

"What am I gonna do?"

"You're strong, a true alpha. He'll learn, just like you did, and you'll guide him," she said confidently. "You can do this."

"I need you," Scott whispered. His body suddenly felt limp. He was just so _tired_.

"No," she responded in a firm tone.

He wanted to ask her why. Of course he needed her, they all did.

"Are you really here?" he asked instead.

She slipped her hand in his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'll always be here for you, Scott."

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Reunion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 2: Reunion **

Over the next few days, things went from bad to worse for Scott. Not only were Kate Argent and a new beta worrying him, Lydia had used Allison's name to unlock a deadpool with all the supernaturals of Beacon Hills on it, and Scott was worth the most. And just twenty minutes ago, a freshman had tried to behead him with a thermal-cut wire.

"You're here now," Scott told his father. The man was beating himself up over missing the scrimmage game. Scott knew he was trying and didn't want him to feel bad.

"Scott."

Agent McCall and Scott looked towards the source of the voice. There stood a young woman with olive skin, dark brown eyes, and long curly hair that framed her exotic face. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Rose?" Scott asked incredulously. He gave his cousin a long hug which she returned wholeheartedly. It had been years since the two had seen each other.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when he released her.

"I moved back to the Beacon Hills," Rose explained. "I was hoping to surprise you after the game under...better circumstances," she said gesturing around at the ongoing police investigation.

"Hello Uncle Rafe," she said, eyeing Agent McCall warily. "You might not remember me. I'm -"

"I remember you, Rose. Good to see you again," Agent McCall said. "Does your tia know you're here?"

Scott noticed that her heart rate was unusually high. The events of the scrimmage game must've shaken her up.

"Not yet. I haven't been in town long. You okay, Scott?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're all grown up," she beamed. "Well you probably have your hands full so I'll let you go, but we'll catch up later?"

Scott nodded and she squeezed his arm lightly. As he watched her leave. he saw Parrish escorting Violet down the hallway in handcuffs.

"Jordan Parrish," she said.

"Deputy Parrish," the young cop corrected.

Scott and the young assassin glared at each other as they crossed paths.

Derek climbed out of his car and walked towards the door of his building. Peter had mysteriously run off after they had stabilized the poisoned beta at Deaton's office, but Derek had more pressing matters at hand.

He didn't want to admit to himself, but he was scared of what Kate had done to him. Earlier that day, he was strong enough to hold Liam up against the lockers with one arm, but by nightfall, he couldn't keep Brett still even with Stiles's help. He was losing his strength, becoming less werewolf. How could Derek protect himself in his current state?

His only hope rested with Braeden. If she found Kate and brought her back, Derek could finally get answers. More importantly, he could force Kate to reverse whatever she had done to him in Mexico.

Derek walked through the front doors and made his way to the elevators. It had been a long day and his stomach growled from lack of food. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the young woman waiting at the elevators next to him.

"Derek. How are you?"

He knew that voice. It was the voice of someone he thought he would never see again. He slowly turned to face the woman.

Rose smiled at the werewolf. It was good to see him again. She wanted to throw her arms around him but knew he would probably subdue her in a painful way.

Derek stared at Rose, wondering if this was a dream. He quickly looked down at his hands and counted ten fingers.

"Something wrong?" she asked, slightly alarmed by his strange behavior.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded brusquely.

"I live here now," she answered calmly. She would not let him faze her.

"You live _here_? In _this _building?"

The elevator slid open and they stepped inside. Rose hit the button marked "12" while Derek pressed the button marked "15," the highest floor.

"So why did you come back to Beacon Hills?" Rose asked conversationally. "Last I heard, you were in New York."

"I should ask you the same question," he replied with less roughness.

"I have personal matters to take care of," she said truthfully. She knew better than to lie to him.

Derek's interested was piqued, but he didn't pursue the subject. He distinctly remembered her saying she would never come back to this town. Why the change of heart?

He thought about the last time they had seen each other. There had been lots of yelling (mostly on Derek's part) and he had decided to cut her out of his life for good.

"I'm glad I ran into you. I've missed you a lot," she admitted, breaking through his thoughts.

Derek scoffed. He felt his anger rising but willed himself to stay calm.

Rose glanced at him and frowned. She didn't expect him to welcome her with open arms, but she hoped he would've seemed a little happy to see her. Could he really still be mad at her after all these years?

"I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say.

"It's fine," he said nonchalantly. Derek knew exactly what she was apologizing for.

"Obviously it's not," she disagreed.

She looked sideways at him. He had grown taller and his body had filled out. His beard gave him a rugged appearance and he seemed more serious, more daunting.

"Stop looking at me," he said, despite his head facing straight forward.

"I haven't seen you in a while. Just wanted to take a look at the man you've become."

The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor with a ding and the door slid open. Rose started to walk out but then turned around to face him, the palm of her hand lying over the door frame to stop the elevator from closing.

"Do you wanna come inside and talk?"

"No," he said bluntly, looking straight through her.

"Are you sure? I made dinner..."

She took Derek's glare as a no and dropped her hand. Before the elevator closed shut, Derek slammed his hand against the door, forcing it to slide back open.

"You don't just come waltzing back after seven years and expect things to go back to the way they were," he spat out.

A stunned Rose watched silently as Derek's glowering face disappeared behind the elevator doors.

"Well Mrs. Hale," she said aloud. "I came back to Beacon Hills to save your son and he hates me."

She walked down the hall towards her new home and wished she and Derek could start over.

* * *

**Sorry for taking awhile to upload, but I rewrote this chapter twice because it wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Reviews are highly appreciated :)**

** TvRomance - Yes, Lydia will be in this story. I'm basically trying to stay close to Season 4's storyline. Of course, this isn't an exact copy of the season (if it was, there wouldn't be much reason to read because you could just watch the show!), but I did add my own twist as you can see by the appearance of Rose.**

**By the way, me naming Scott's cousin Rose had nothing to do with Derrick Rose (any basketball fans out there?). I realized what I did in the middle of writing and it was purely coincidental lol.**

**Chapter 3 coming soon!**


	3. Savior

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 3: Savior**

"Help! Scott? Is anybody there? Somebody help me please!" Liam shouted from the bottom of a well. He clutched a wound on his chest that stung fiercely and left the broken skin with a yellow discoloration. Unknown to the recently bitten wolf, the wolfsbane in his system that Garrett had stabbed into him spread slowly through his blood.

"See you then." Scott hung up his phone and walked inside the classroom. He looked around for Stiles then remembered that he was going to the police station with Lydia to talk to Parrish.

Towards the end of third period, Scott noticed someone looking at him through the window of the classroom door. It was Mason, Liam's best friend. The boy gestured for him to come out to the hallway. Scott shoved his books clumsily in his backpack and tried to sneak out the back door.

"McCall, where are you going?" his English teacher screeched, but he was already out the door.

"Hey, you know where Liam is?" Mason asked.

"Isn't he in class?" He could smell anxiety emanating from the younger boy. "What's wrong?

"We went running first period and he just took off and disappeared. I haven't seen him since and I'm getting worried."

"Who does he have for second period?" Scott asked as he pulled out his phone from his pocket and texted his beta.

"Finstock I think."

Scott led the way to Coach's office and knocked on the door before opening it. Coach sat at his desk drinking what appeared to be apple juice.

"McCall, why aren't you in class?" he croaked, sounding congested.

"We were looking for Liam," Scott said.

As he stepped towards the desk, Coach waved him back and pointed comically at his throat, indicating he was contagious.

"Did he show up today?" Mason asked from the door frame.

Coach took a swig of juice from his bottle, coughed, and looked at the boys. "Sorry guys, Liam skipped my class. Maybe he's sick," he sniffed. "Like me."

Scott and Mason exchanged glances.

"Liam didn't look sick on our run," Mason told Scott.

In the middle of the woods, Liam struggled to hold himself up on the stone walls of the well. Throughout the day, he had felt his body grow weaker from the wolfsbane, but the thought of him getting out and beating the crap out of Garrrett for throwing him in there kept him motivated.

On and on Liam climbed, slowly reaching the top of the well. Fatigue and pain tore through his arms and legs and it felt like his chest was on fire. He coughed violently and felt his hands losing their grip on the slippery rocks. He grunted with effort, telling himself to hold on.

Liam looked up at the sky through the broken boards nailed over the well's opening. Nighttime had fallen over the woods and the moon illuminated the dark, cloudy sky. At the sight of the white orb, a shot of adrenaline raced through the boy's body and he yelled with all his might, his blue eyes glowing bright yellow.

A few miles away, Rose stopped in her tracks. It sounded like someone was screaming. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she hugged her jacket closer to her body for warmth. Hoping that her imagination was getting the best of her, she hurried on her way out the woods as if she hadn't heard anything.

This impromptu visit to Beacon Hills Preserve brought back many memories for Rose. Even though she hadn't stepped foot there for a long time, it still seemed like the same woods she had gotten to know so well from her teenage years, like solid proof of a different life. Everything felt so familiar, still looked the same. Everything except the Hale House of course. She had wanted to visit all her favorite places - the lookout point, the lake, the bridge - but as soon as she laid eyes on the construction site that was once the home of Derek and his family, she lost interest in everything else.

She was close to the edge of the woods when the sound of someone running stopped her again. She quickly hid behind a tree and peered out discreetly.

Scott sprinted rapidly between the trees, not missing a step. Rose watched in amazement as he sped through the woods. He suddenly jumped forward and landed with his hands underneath him and started running on all fours like a wild animal. She covered her mouth with her hand to stop a gasp from compromising her location. Scott ran deeper into the woods, unaware of his cousin lurking in the shadows.

"No, please no," Rose breathed, alone once more.

"I'm gonna kill Garrett," Liam said as he took off Scott's helmet and dismounted from his dirt bike.

"Something already beat you to it," Scott said, taking the helmet from Liam's outstretched hand.

"Some_thing_?"

"Berserkers," Scott said darkly.

"He's really dead?" Liam asked in disbelief.

"And so is Violet. I think Kate killed her."

"Who?"

"I'll explain later. You okay?"

"Yeah," Liam answered, touching his chest where Deaton had sliced him open which released the poison from his body. "The cut already healed."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow," he clapped Liam on the shoulder and said goodbye.

Half an hour later, Scott quietly closed the door of his father's hospital room behind him. Agent McCall was fast asleep when Scott arrived, so Scott didn't get a chance to talk to him.

"He's doing okay. " a voice behind him said.

Scott turned around and came face-to-face with Rose.

"He has a concussion and some nasty cuts but he'll be alright," she said. "He'll probably be released in the morning."

He nodded to show he understood. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about your dad, so I stopped by to see him," she said, taking a seat on a chair pushed against the wall. "I guess I'm subconsciously trying to make up for years worth of not being here."

Scott sat down next to her. "It's okay. You had college and stuff."

"But I never made the effort to come back and visit, even when my mother still lived here. I've realized that a lot of things must have happened while I was gone," she said. "I should have been there for you, Scott. I'm sorry."

Something about the way she looked at him made Scott feel uneasy.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. I completely bailed on you today," he said, trying to keep the conversation light.

They had made plans to meet after Scott got out of school, but with Liam missing and Garrett coercing him to break Violet out of police custody, he had to cancel.

"Don't worry about it," Rose said, shrugging it off. An image of Scott running through the woods manifested in her mind. "Tell me about your day."

"Uhh, it was good," he stammered.

"Anything interesting happen?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, just studying," he lied. "That's why I couldn't make it today. The PSATs are tomorrow and I realized I knew nothing and needed to cram."

She smiled despite herself. He was an excellent liar, just like Derek had been.

"I guess tomorrow is a big day for us both," she said, rising from her seat.

Scott raised his eyebrows.

"Today I got offered the clinical pharmacist position here and I accepted. My first day is tomorrow."

"That's awesome. Congratulations!" Scott exclaimed, giving her a hug.

Rose savored the moment, hoping beyond hope that what she saw tonight had some kind of logical explanation. They walked out to the parking lot together and bid each other good luck on the coming day.

"Hey Rose," Scott called out. "We can hang out tomorrow night if you're free."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. Why don't you come over for dinner and see my new place? I'll text you the address."

"Sounds good." He climbed on his dirt bike, slipped his helmet on, and drove off.

As she got into her car to avoid the light drizzle coming down, Rose began planning her next move. She needed to find out the truth. If her suspicions about Scott were right, Derek wouldn't be the only one she needed to help.

* * *

**Hey everyone. Thanks for reading. I do apologize for the long delay. I've been thinking a lot about where I want this story to go (especially after watching the Season 4 finale), and I didn't want to post this chapter until I was sure it wouldn't affect the outcome of future chapters like what happened with Chapter 2. Originally, it had been five years since Derek and Rose last saw each other when Derek left BH. To keep this part of the story canon, I made a change in Chapter 2 from five years to seven years since at this point in the TW universe, it's been more or less seven years since the Hale House fire and Derek left shortly after that. However, Rose hasn't been back to BH in about six years. She finished her senior year at BHHS before moving away - one year after Derek left. This will be further explored in a later chapter.**

** arrow-through-my-writers-block - Yes, there will be a bit of Stiles next chapter. Stiles and Rose have a few things in common and I'm excited to share that throughout the story.**

**I will do my best to post new chapters on a regular basis. Editing and committing to an idea slows me down and I'm a perfectionist, but I'll try to post once a week on the weekends. Thank you and please let me know your thoughts!**


	4. Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 4: Truth**

"Everything is okay, Braeden. You were shot but you're at the hospital now, and you're fine."

Braeden felt disoriented and sore. She looked at Melissa, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Do you understand?" Melissa asked.

Braeden looked up and saw Derek. Knowing that he was there with her gave her peace. She nodded.

"Good," Melissa said. "Last night you were in the woods and you came across another pack. Do you know what happened to them?"

"I told you they were poisoned," Derek jumped in.

"No. No, they were infected," Braeden corrected him. "It was a virus, designed to kill werewolves. And it did. It killed them all."

"I have to tell Scott," Melissa said. She left the room in a hurry, leaving Derek and Braeden alone.

"What are you doing here?" Braeden asked.

"I brought you here," Derek said. "Malia and I found you. You were in surgery overnight. The doctors said you should've died in the woods. They don't know how you survived."

"It's not the first time I should've died," she said, touching the scars on her neck given to her by Deucalion. "And why are the doctors talking to you? I thought they only talk to the patient's family?"

"They uh, think I'm your…husband."

* * *

Rose poked her head out the door and looked down the hallway. She had just heard gunshots fire somewhere in the hospital.

"Do you see anything?" her new co-worker asked from under the table where he had taken refuge. "Do you see the gunman?"

"No." She closed the door and leaned her back against it.

"Why does this always happen?" he whined. "This hospital is seriously cursed."

"Something like this has happened before?"

"Just a few months ago, some guys in black cloaks came and sliced everybody up. Still wanna work here?"

Rose opened the door and walked out to the hallway.

"Wait!" her co-worker yelled. "Where are you going?"

"To find my aunt."

She jogged down the corridor then stopped to peer around the corner for signs of trouble. Distress plagued her at the thought of finding her aunt lying dead somewhere.

_Where is everyone?_

At the floor above, she finally caught sight of Melissa. With Derek.

"Tia!" Rose called out to her.

She ran to Melissa and threw her arms around her. "Thank God you're okay!"

Derek's eyes widened. "Tia" means aunt in Spanish. Which meant Rose was Scott's cousin. He recalled a memory long ago when he had visited Rose at her house while she babysat her little cousin. She had angrily told him to not see her when her family was around. His face hardened at the realization that the little boy she so desperately wanted to protect from him was Scott.

Rose noticed a gurney pushed to the side of the wall with a white sheet covering a body underneath. Blood was still smeared on the white linoleum floor.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

"I have everything under control, Rose. Just go back to work," Melissa said calmly.

"But I heard gunshots."

"The police are on their way. Everything's fine," Melissa said. She looked nervously over her niece's shoulder to the operation room where Deaton and Satomi were getting ready to leave with the body of the dead werewolf from Satomi's pack.

Rose tore her eyes away from the blood and turned to Derek. "What are you doing here, Derek?"

"You two know each other?" Melissa asked in surprise.

"We went to high school together," Rose told her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Derek's bloody hands.

"What are _you _doing here?" Derek said. He was annoyed at the fact that he was seeing her more and more. He wondered if she was following him.

"I work here. It's my first day."

"On a Saturday?" he shot back.

"They wanted me to start right away," she said coolly.

"I gotta go," Melissa said, sensing the animosity between them. She wheeled the gurney carrying the body into the elevator.

Derek walked away. He wanted to check on Braeden before going to the high school.

"Did someone try to kill you?" Rose interrogated as she followed him. "Was it a hunter under that sheet? Where's Laura? And how do you know my aunt?"

"I don't know your aunt," Derek said. He felt his chest tighten at the sound of his sister's name. "She's just taking care of my friend."

She knew he was lying and she had an idea how Derek and Melissa knew each other. She grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Did someone try to kill you?" she repeated.

"No," he said, giving her a hard look. He pulled his arm away and continued to walk to Braeden's room.

Derek opened the door gently. The mercenary laid in bed in deep sleep. Derek looked at her for a moment before closing the door to face Rose again.

"What do you want?"

"She's beautiful," Rose said. "How long have you two been dating?"

"We're not," Derek said sternly. "Now go away."

"But you want to," Rose said. She smiled at him knowingly and walked away, leaving an annoyed Derek in her wake.

* * *

"Are you coming or not?" Scott asked over the phone as he got ready to leave the police station.

"Not," Stiles answered in a flat tone.

"C'mon, Stiles. It'll help get your mind off Malia," Scott reasoned.

"Why? Is Rose still hot?" Stiles asked, almost sounding like his usual self.

"Dude, she's my blood. Everyone in my family is good looking," he said jokingly. "C'mon and see for yourself."

"Nah, I'm not in the mood. I just wanna go to sleep and forget everything that happened. You know, out of all the sucky days I've lived, this really is the suckiest. Almost getting murdered _and_ losing my girlfriend all in one day?"

"She'll get over it. Eventually," Scott assured.

"Well wake me up when she does."

Twenty minutes later, Scott stood in front of apartment 1203 and rang the buzzer. The door opened a few minutes later, revealing Rose sporting black yoga pants and a University of Washington tank top.

"Scott!"

"Hey, I'm so sorry, I know it's late," he apologized as she stepped aside to let him in. "But I didn't wanna bail on you twice in a row."

"It's okay. You can come over anytime. Did you have any trouble finding this building?"

"No, I've actually been here before."

_I bet you have__,_ Rose said to herself as she thought of Derek. They sat down on a comfy red couch in the living room.

"How was the PSAT?"

"We actually didn't get to finish it. A teacher thought there was some virus going around, but it was just a false alarm," Scott said.

"What kind of virus?" Rose asked, immediately interested.

"They weren't sure what it was. I like your place," he said, changing the subject.

Rose's loft looked like a smaller version of Derek's. The open floor plan allowed him to see every room of the first floor, except the bathroom. Boxes were scattered around the whole space, each marked with where its contents belonged. He couldn't see her bedroom, so he assumed it was upstairs.

"Thanks and please excuse the mess. I'm still unpacking."

Scott felt a twinge of grief as he remembered Allison telling him the same thing a year ago when he first went to her house.

"It's not that big, but it was the only option within my budget for this place. This is a really expensive building," she continued. "But I like how open it is."

"Why didn't you pick another building?"

"Because I really like this one," she said simply.

Scott heard her heart beat slightly faster. She was lying.

"Don't pharmacists make good money?"

"Yeah, but I have a ton of student loans to pay off," she said. "Are you hungry?"

"Always am."

She led the way to the kitchen and prepared him a plate of lasagna, salad, and breadsticks.

"So how was your first day?" Scott asked.

"Pretty good. Beacon Hills definitely hasn't changed," she said.

Scott removed his jacket and laid it over the back of his chair. He sensed her looking at him and saw her staring at his tattoo. She quickly looked away and brought him his food.

"I saw your dad leave the hospital this morning. Must be good to have him back," she said.

Scott noticed her heart rate increase ever so slightly that he wondered if he was only imagining it.

"Yeah, but um, he has to leave for San Francisco. Work stuff," Scott said, digging into his food.

"How long has he been back?" she asked as she sat across from him and watched him eat.

"For awhile now."

"You think your parents are getting back together?'

"I don't know."

"Do you want them to?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?" Scott felt a little taken aback by the question. He had imagined what it would be like if his parents got remarried, but he never spoke of this or how he felt about it out loud.

"Just concerned. I know he wasn't much of a father to you growing up."

Scott could sense her heart rate rising again. This time, he had no doubt. Was she angry at his father?

"Yeah, I know. I wasn't too thrilled when he came back, but he's actually making an effort," he said, trying to calm her agitation.

"Really?"

"You don't think people can change?"

"On the contrary, I know people can change," Rose said. Seeing that he had finished his meal, she pushed her chair back, stood up, and walked to the refrigerator.

"Want some cheesecake?" she offered, retrieving a box of store-bought cheesecake.

"Sure."

Rose set the box down on the table along with two saucers and a knife. As she lifted the knife, Scott heard a spike in her heart rate, and then suddenly felt the back of his hand left sting. He looked down in shock at the long, thin cut and quickly covered it with his other hand.

"I'm so sorry!" Rose cried. "Let me clean that up for you!"

Scott could hear her heart thumping wildly and knew that she knew. He didn't know how, but Rose definitely knew.

"Give me your hand, Scott," she urged, trying to keep her voice even.

"I gotta go." He shot up from his chair and ran towards the door.

"Scott, wait," she pleaded, following him. "We both know why I cut you."

Scott's head felt like it was about to explode. With everything going on – Liam, Kate, the Benefactor – the last thing he needed was for his prodigal cousin to get involved with this world.

"I gotta go," he repeated. He unlocked the door and slid it open.

Once in the hallway, he ran to the door which led to the stairwell, hoping she wasn't going to follow him. He pushed the metal door open and climbed the stairs two at a time. Once on the fifteenth floor, he hurried to his destination. He didn't realize where he was even going until he stood in front of Derek's door.

Scott pressed the buzzer and waited. He looked around him nervously, expecting to see Rose at any second.

He wasn't even sure why this new development worried him. His mom knew, and their relationship was as strong as ever. But everything was happening so fast. He still needed to decide if he was going to tell his dad about what was really going on. Now Rose seems to know and it had caught him off guard. It was all too much.

After what felt like a century, Derek finally opened the door. Scott quickly stepped inside, not waiting for an invitation, and ran his hands in his hair. The incision had already healed.

"My cousin just cut me with a knife. I think she knows," he said.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Derek said, a hint of bitterness laced behind his words.

"What are you talking about?"

"She always finds a way to know things."

"You know Rose?" Scott asked incredulously. "How?"

Scott heard footsteps approaching the door and knew it was her.

"Go upstairs," Derek demanded.

Scott ran up the spiral staircase and sat in the shadows of Derek's kitchen. He could hear Rose repeatedly press the buzzer on his front door. The sound of it started to make his head hurt.

"Derek!" she shouted from outside. "Open up, we need to talk!"

She hit the metal door with the palm of her hand and pressed the buzzer a few more times.

"Derek! Open this door! I saw your car in the parking lot. I know you're in there! Derek? Derek!"

She alternated with banging on the door and hitting the buzzer repeatedly. Derek finally gave in and slid the door open.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to get kicked out of this building?" Derek chastised.

"Why didn't you tell me about Scott?" she asked as she pushed her way inside.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Derek denied.

Rose scoffed bitterly and turned around to face him. "I'm not in the mood for your games. How did this happen?"

"Rose."

She swerved around. Scott slowly descended down the stairs and looked at his cousin uncertainly. He didn't know how to feel about all this, but he knew hiding was not the answer.

"I'm sorry I cut you," she said, walking towards him. "I just had to see for myself if it was true. If you really are a werewolf."

She stopped in front of him and Scott raised his arm, showing her the back of his hand where the cut she gave him had completely healed.

"You're right," he said. "I am a werewolf."

Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she had gained her composure, she looked at him again.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

**Thank you for reading! And thanks for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. It really motivates me to keep writing when I know there are people out there who actually enjoy my stories. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think so far. I was worried about the flow of this chapter because I had quite a few breaks here and there, but I will work on that. It's tricky because I don't want to write too much on what happened on the show. I want to focus more on the scenes they didn't show. **

**Anyway, the next chapter will focus on Derek and Rose's background and why Derek is so against her, so stay tuned!**


	5. History

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf and I never will which sucks because I would've been BFFS with Dylan O'Brien.**

**CHAPTER 5: History**

Scott sat down on Derek's couch and the other two did the same. He didn't even know where to begin.

"Where's Laura?" Rose asked tentatively.

Scott and Derek both looked at her.

"Is she the one who bit you?" she asked.

Scott looked at Derek as if asking for his permission to tell her the fate of his sister.

"Laura's dead," Derek said bluntly.

Scott felt pity for his friend as he saw the expressionless look on his face. He forgot sometimes how many people Derek had lost. It was unfortunate that Peter was his only remaining relative in Beacon Hills and wondered why he had send Cora away.

He heard a sniff and noticed that Rose had started crying. She had her face turned away from them. She stood up and started walking towards the door.

"I just need a moment," she said apologetically and left, wiping away her tears.

Scott and Derek looked at each other.

"Were they close?" Scott asked.

"I wouldn't say close," Derek replied. "But she did admire my sister. She took it pretty hard when we left Beacon Hills. Are you telling her everything?"

"I don't know, should I? She knew about werewolves because of you, right?"

"Scott, do you remember when you were a kid that time Rose was babysitting you at her house and a boy came to see her? You asked if he was - "

"Her boyfriend," Scott finished. "That was you?"

"Yeah. And you were her kid cousin she wanted me to never talk to. She was very protective of you and the rest of your family. She never wanted you or any of them to get hurt because of me and our world."

Scott looked down at his hands, taking it all in. Never could he imagine that his cousin was involved with werewolves.

"There's something you should know if you do decide to tell her," Derek warned.

Scott looked up at him in anticipation.

"She hates the Argent. I'll let her tell you what she wants, but if she gets involved with all this dead pool stuff and finds out that Chris is helping us, she won't take it well."

Scott nodded.

"Thanks, Derek. I should go check on her."

"I gotta get going to the hospital," Derek said as they both stood up. "Braeden's going to stay here for the rest of her recovery. I'm going to find out what she knows about the Calaveras and Kate."

Scott walked back to Rose's loft feeling like his head was crammed with too much information. He decided that she had to know what was going on - after all, she already knew about werewolves and maybe she knew even more than him. He still had to get used to the idea that she knew. And what exactly was her relationship with Derek?

He noticed she had left her door unlocked for him. He walked inside and found her making tea in the kitchen. Her eyes were slightly red from crying.

"Want some tea?" she asked.

"Sure," he said softly. It made him sad to see her so hurt.

"It's chamomile," she said as she poured two mugs for them.

She handed him one of the mugs and went to the living room. Scott followed her and they sat down on the couch. She retrieved the blanket folded over the back of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. Scott remembered how she would tuck him in for bed when his mom worked the night shift. He realized with affection that she was like a second mom to him. Like a big sister.

"How did it happen?" she asked quietly.

"She was killed. By Peter Hale."

Rose's face hardened with hatred.

"Peter?" she asked angrily. "Peter killed her? So he finally recovered from his coma?"

"Yes," Scott answered. "He killed her so that he could become the Alpha and to heal fully. He was the one who bit me. Derek killed him, but he manipulated my friend Lydia to bring him back to life."

Scott went on to tell her the events of the past year. How he met Derek, how Derek guided him, how Stiles helped him control his shift. He even told her about Allison and her family.

"No," Rose said. "You can't possibly trust the Argents, Scott. They're a dangerous family. Evil even. You have no idea what kind of suffering they inflicted upon the Hales, on me."

So this must have been what Derek was talking about.

"What did they do to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, not looking him in the eye. "How can you be so sure that this Allison is on your side?"

"She died fighting with us,' Scott said with a heavy heart.

Rose stayed quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." She didn't know what else to say.

Scott continued his story. He told her about Peter killing Kate, Derek becoming the Alpha and how he added Isaac, Erica, and Boyd to his pack, how Jackson turned into the kanima, how Allison's grandfather manipulated her to hunt Derek. He told her about the Alpha pack coming to Beacon Hills, how the Darach almost killed his mother, about Lydia being a banshee. When he told her about him becoming an Alpha and showed her his eyes, she looked at him in amazement. They talked all night, Scott catching her up with everything that happened to him up until the most recent events about Liam and Kate, leaving the dead pool out.

"I should get going," Scott said. I promised Kira and Stiles that we'd practice in the morning. But I want to know everything about you and Derek."

"Of course," Rose said. "Meet me tomorrow afternoon and we'll talk."

Rose walked him to the door and bid him goodnight. She prepared for bed and tiredly laid in the comforts of her sheets but couldn't sleep. She looked at the time. It was nearly four in the morning. She got up and went to her keepsake box. Inside was a photo of her, Derek, and Laura, smiling happily back at her. She ran her thumb over Laura's face and began to cry. She couldn't believe she was gone - Laura seemed so invincible.

Two floors above and a few lofts away, Derek laid awake on his couch, listening to Rose sobbing. Although he disliked her, he felt pity for his former friend. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Little did he know, her sobs would be the last thing he could hear with his enhanced hearing. As he drifted off, he wondered if she would stay out of the supernatural world or come back and try to help Scott.

* * *

**I am back after a long absence (yay!). Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and reviews are HIGHLY appreciated!**


	6. Hale

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Teen Wolf. Lucky you, Jeff Davis.**

**CHAPTER 6: Hale**

"She knew about werewolves?" Stiles asked incredulously.

Scott, Stiles, and Kira were at the lacrosse field getting ready to practice. It was Sunday morning and Scott felt drained from lack of sleep and the events from the previous night. He still couldn't believe that Rose knew.

"Yeah," Scott said. "She and Derek were friends. They might have been a couple a long time ago. I actually met him once before and I thought he was her boyfriend."

"Wow. What are the odds that her cousin would later become a werewolf and be trained by her ex-boyfriend?" Kira said.

"She would've really come in handy when we had half-pipe Derek around," Stiles said. "Hey, what if she's the Benefactor?"

"She's not, Stiles," Scott said defensively.

"Think about it. None of this dead pool business started until she came to town," Stiles said.

"I still think she isn't the Benefactor. And don't tell her anything about the dead pool because I left that part out. I don't want her to get worried. I'm supposed to meet up with her later today to talk about exactly how she found out about werewolves. I also wanna ask her about Laura."

"Why do you all of a sudden wanna know about Laura?" Stiles asked.

"I think they were good friends. She might be able to tell me how Laura was as an alpha. I'm still figuring out how to be one. I need to be able to help Liam and protect him and Derek's not exactly a great example."

"Why is that?" Kira asked.

"Because he sucked as an alpha," Stiles responded.

"So are you really close with your cousin?" Kira asked Scott.

"Growing up, she took care of me. Then she went off to college in Seattle and that was the last time I saw her. She had a pretty rough time here at the end of high school."

"Yeah, there was a whole rape scandal about her," Stiles said. "On the night of prom, she was found injured and in her underwear roaming around the woods. She never said who raped her and claimed she tried to commit suicide."

"But we don't know if she was actually raped or if she really did try to kill herself," Scott jumped in. "We don't know what happened that night."

Rose stood in front of the remains of the Hale House sadly. This was where Derek and Laura lost their family. This was where Kate destroyed one of the most powerful packs.

She clenched her fists at the thought of Kate Argent. Out of all the Argents, she hated Kate the most.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked behind her.

"Why do you care?" she asked him without turning around.

Derek walked forward and stood beside her. After a moment of silence, Rose turned to leave.

"Rose," he said, grabbing her arm gently.

"Let me go, Derek."

"There's something I want to say."

She stood still but didn't turn to face him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Laura. I know I should've, but I didn't want to interfere in your life."

Rose finally faced him.

"Is she really gone?" she asked.

"Yeah, Peter cut her in half. There was no way she could've survived."

Rose took a deep breath, willing herself to stay composed.

"I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry about what happened in the past. I don't know why I did it, but I just wish you would forgive me and we can go back to being friends."

Derek knew exactly what she was talking about. He could feel himself wavering in his determination to hate her. Seeing Rose mourn for his sister made him realize something. At the time of Laura's death, Derek was the only one who grieved for her, who cared that she left this world. But there was another person who cared and he had done everything to push her away since she reappeared in his life. Maybe it was time to bury the hatchet.

"Come with me," he said gently.

"Where are we going?"

"To my family's grave," he said, walking deeper into the woods.

Later that day, Scott walked into a coffee shop and sat down at a table at the back near the noisy coffee machines, waiting for Rose. He was interested in hearing her side of the story and how she came to know about werewolves.

His cousin arrived a few minutes later and sat down across from him.

"I'm gonna grab a cup of coffee, you want anything?" she asked.

"No, I'm good, thanks."

Once she was all settled with a hot cup of latte in front of her, Scott got down to business.

"Tell me everything," he said, mirroring her words from last night.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"How you met Derek. Did you date him?"

"No, I didn't," Rose answered. "But we were good friends. We had a few classes together and bonded over the fact that we both didn't grow up with fathers. I don't know if he told you, but his father was killed when he was nine. He was a human, but became a werewolf to be with Mrs. Hale. He was killed by the Argents for defending himself against one of their members and biting him.

Anyway, Derek and I were assigned partners for a science project in the ninth grade. We were supposed to study the phases of the moon. On the night of the full moon, Derek told me to stay at home but I didn't listen. I went to the woods with a telescope and out of nowhere, Derek came running through the trees and tried biting me. Peter and Laura pulled him off me and they left.

I didn't see Derek for about a week. He wasn't going to school and they said he had mono. I went to visit him at home. Peter told Mrs. Hale that she should make me forget what had happened, that I was a liability. She decided not to. She told me that Derek needed a human friend to keep him sane, that it would help him live a normal life. She wanted him to have friends, to enjoy being a teenager."

"What was Derek's mother like?" Scott asked. He had always wanted to ask Derek, but thought he would never tell him. Derek was very private about his life, especially his past.

"She was strong, beautiful, she had an air of elegance about her. I always thought she was some kind of werewolf queen. She was really smart, too, and every other pack in the area sought advice from her.

So with Mrs. Hale's blessing, I got closer to Derek. He confided in me about everything - how he was frustrated that he struggled with his shift despite being a born wolf, how sometimes he wished he could be a regular kid and play basketball and have a girlfriend. I told him everything, too. We were best friends, but only outside of school."

"Why was that?"

"It was mutual really. Derek needed distance. He thought that being too close to me would get me hurt one day, and I needed separation. At school, I was a normal girl. I had my friends and theater and swimming and I didn't need to worry about werewolves. Outside of school, I was the best friend of a teenage werewolf. I even helped him during full moons. One of our traditions was to watch the sunrise after a full moon. It was like our reward for getting through another month.

Peter didn't like me, though. He felt threatened that I was taking Derek from him. Once, he submitted an application on my behalf to a boarding school in London. I was shocked when I got the acceptance letter. He even offered to pay my tuition. It was tempting, but I didn't want to leave my mother alone in Beacon Hills, and I didn't want to leave the Hales. Derek was so mad when he found out.

Then there was the fire. We were in class when our teacher sent him to the principal's office. Derek and Laura were devastated. Derek wanted to kill the Argents for what they did, and I wanted to help. For almost three months, they stayed in their family vault under the high school which was heavily protected. I helped them get food and things like that. They would go back to the house often. Mrs. Hale's claws were somewhere in there and they wanted to find them. In the end, they couldn't find them and they left Beacon Hills after Laura officially graduated. I wanted to go with them, to become part of their pack, but something happened."

Scott had a feeling he was about to find out why Derek seemed to dislike his cousin.

"I shot Derek with an arrow."

It wasn't the answer that Scott expected.

"Like a hunter's arrow? Why?"

Rose looked down at her coffee cup.

"I've asked myself that same question countless times. There was an incident on prom night. I went to prom but Kate Argent attacked me. She used me as bait to draw Derek and Laura out. Laura was out of town at the time, so it was only Derek who tried to help me. It's a long story and I'm sure you heard a version of it. The rumors aren't true - I wasn't raped or assaulted by some creep, but I let everyone think that because no one would've believed the truth anyway."

"But what does all that have to do with you shooting Derek with an arrow?" Scott asked.

"Derek had an interesting theory. He said that I blamed him for ruining his life. If it wasn't for him, I would've enjoyed my prom night with my boyfriend. My boyfriend dumped me after prom - he couldn't deal with all my lies and secrets. Derek felt guilty for what happened to me and he really thought I hated him for it. I was learning to protect myself with a bow and arrow at the time, and I shot him."

"And what's your version of it?"

"I have no idea why I did it. That night was such a blur, I can barely remember it. I just don't know."

Scott sat back in his chair and mulled over her story and Rose sipped on the rest of her lukewarm coffee.

"Was Laura a good alpha?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes, Mrs. Hale taught her well."

"What made her a good alpha?"

Rose thought about it for a moment. "She was decisive. She had a vision of where she wanted to go and how she wanted to get there. She protected me and Derek from the Argents and from other packs. Laura was very skilled, too. She was a full wolf like her mother, was fast, cunning, but most importantly, she knew how to separate her emotions from situations. She was good at seeing things from an unbiased point of view. You would've gotten along well with her, Scott. I'm sure you're already a great alpha and so was she."

* * *

**I kind of wish Laura had been brought back to life. She could've been a really good teacher to Scott. In the next chapter, I jump right into "Time of Death." Sorry if the transition is a bit choppy. :/**

**Reviews please?**


	7. Dreams

CHAPTER 7: Dreams

Click. Scott unlocked the dead pool after entering his name. Liam stood next to Scott in front of the laptop. A list of three names illuminated the dark classroom: THE MUTE, THE ORPHANS, THE CHEMIST.

"I can't kill them," Scott said.

"Someone has to," Liam replied. "It has to be you, you're the Alpha."

"I'm not a murderer, Liam," Scott rebuked.

"You're a predator."

"We're predators but we don't have to..." Scott's voice trailed off as he struggled to find the words Derek had spoken to him over a year ago on the rooftop of a video store.

Scott shut the laptop forcefully and sensed that something was wrong. He turned around and saw the Mute standing over Liam's still body. With horror, Scott realized that Liam was dead. The Mute looked at Scott and gestured the shush motion, as if asking him to keep it a secret.

* * *

Kira looked down at Scott's seemingly lifeless body with a worried expression etched on her face. She hoped this plan would work and that they could stop the Benefactor once and for all. She feared for her life and the lives of her mother and friends. The lights flickered on an off and Kira sighed. She picked up her sword and left the morgue, mentally preparing herself to fight.

Stiles and Chris stood over the laptop they set up in the empty hospital wing. Chris sent a message to the Benefactor asking for payment for Scott's death.

"That's it? That's your assassin speak? Don't you think it sounds a bit dry?" Stiles said.

"What?" Chris asked, not following.

"You gotta make it sound more badass. Let me get the next one."

A reply appeared on the laptop's screen. "VISUAL CONFIRMATION IS REQUIRED."

"What the hell is going on here?"

Stiles and Chris looked up to see Rose in her white coat.

"Stiles? What are you doing here with an Argent? What is all this stuff?"

"Rose! Long time no see! We're a bit busy at the moment, so you mind if we catch up later?"

"Don't sass me, Stiles. Let's get out of here," she demanded, eyeing Chris with a look of pure hate.

"I'm not your enemy, Rose," Chris reassured calmly. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, I just want to help Scott and his friends."

"Stop with the bullshit, Argent," Rose spat out. "I will never trust you or anyone else in your family."

"I don't hunt werewolves anymore."

"I don't care. I will never forget all the things your family has done."

"Can we talk about this later?" Stiles interrupted. "We're on a very tight schedule."

"Who else is with you?" Rose asked Chris, ignoring Stiles. "Is she here too? Where is Kate?"

"Trust me, I'm not on Kate's side," Chris said sternly.

"Trust you?" Rose yelled incredulously, a wild look dancing in her eyes. "Your sister shot me and you let her! How can I possibly trust you?"

Stiles looked from Rose to Chris in complete shock but quickly snapped out of it and grabbed a bottle nearby.

"I'm calling security," Rose said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, but before she could do anything else, Chris tried to subdue her.

With surprising skill, Rose dodged his attack and punched him hard in the throat. Chris sputtered and was about to counterattack, but Stiles snuck up behind Rose and held a cloth against her nose. She passed out instantly in his waiting arms.

"Kate shot her?" he asked Chris.

"Put her down, we got work to do," he said, brushing it off.

* * *

Scott had to kill. Scott _wanted _to kill. Again and again, he slashed the Mute in the chest with his sharp claws. He could smell his blood in the air and feel drops of the red liquid spray on his face. He loved it. He wanted to feel his heart stop beating, wanted to see the life leave his eyes. The mute killed Liam and he had to pay. He needed to be punished for murdering his first and only beta.

"Scott!" her voice yelled.

He paused, his claws about to sink into the warm flesh.

"Allison?"

He slowly turned around and there she was, as beautiful and lifelike as the last time they met. She walked calmly up to him and cupped her warm hands around his wolfish face.

"This isn't you."

She looked scared. Scott looked away in shame. She must've thought the worst of him. He was acting like the kind of werewolf that justified the work of the hunters.

"What's happening to me?" he asked her, surprisingly calm.

"Go back, Scott." She took her hands away.

"Maybe I don't wanna go back," Scott replied. "Maybe I should stay here with you."

She smiled at him sadly. "Go back," she repeated.

With a start, Scott woke up surrounded by his mother and friends, feeling the aftereffects of Kira's shock run through his body.

"Scott!" Kira cried and threw her arms over him.

"I'm back," he said softly, hugging her with as much force as she was hugging him.

"Thank God," Melissa sighed, putting her hand on her damp forehead. "Never do that again!"

Scott spent the rest of the night talking to Kira about the Benefactor and how another banshee had to be involved. He also told her everything he saw in his dreams, including Allison.

"I think she's watching over you," Kira said. "You must miss her a lot."

"I do. Sometimes I wonder what she would do if she were still here," Scott said.

"What about Rose? She walked in on Stiles and Argent. She knows something's going on."

Scott sighed. It had taken a lot of effort to avoid his cousin and her endless questions. She was fuming when Scott left her at the hospital.

"I don't know what to do about her. I wanted her to stay out of it," Scott said. "Stiles told me that when she saw Argent, she freaked out. She said she wouldn't trust him because Kate shot her and Argent didn't do anything to stop it. I mean, she told me Kate attacked her but I didn't know to what extent."

"And you had no idea all this was happening?" Kira asked.

"No, I guess she's just really good at keeping secrets. I have a feeling that Rose will get involved in the end, though. She seems to be getting in the mess of things."

The next morning, Rose stopped by the Sheriff's office before going to work. She had the worst dream the prior night of Kate and Chris shooting her repeatedly. Coming face-to-face with an Argent after all these years had really shaken her up. She hated the thought that he was close to Scott and his friends. How could they leave him alone with Stiles? Scott had told her about Allison and she couldn't judge someone she never met, but she could judge the father all she wanted and knew he was a bad man.

She didn't buy the story of Argent not hunting werewolves anymore. How could a hunter like Argent, who was from a long line of hunters, suddenly stop? It had to be a setup.

"Good morning," she said walking up to an officer.

"Good morning," Parrish greeted her, "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could look at a particular file on an incident that happened about 7 years ago - an incident that happened to me."

After ten minutes, Parrish handed Rose the folder containing every detail of that night and the days that followed. Ever since her unpleasant reunion with Argent, she couldn't stop thinking about the night she was attacked, the night she had buried deep in her mind and pretended had never happened. She hoped that facing it head on would help her let it go.

"Here's the file for Rosaura Delgado. You can look through it in this room over here. Nothing can be taken from the file and no pictures are allowed."

He lead her to an interrogation room and opened the door for her.

"Thank you. By any chance, is the Sheriff in his office? He's an old friend," Rose asked.

"Not at the moment. Did you want me to tell him you stopped by?"

"That's not necessary," Rose said. "I should be about 15 minutes."

He stood at the corner of the room to her dismay. She sat down at the metal table and poured through the folder, examining photos of her half-naked body, reading the statements her seventeen-year-old self had made. She tried to remember that night but stopped herself. There was a reason why she wanted to forget.

"You okay, ma'am?" Parrish asked.

"I'm fine."

Rose was ten minutes late to work that morning. After preparing some tests, she couldn't wait any longer and snuck into the hospital's records room and retrieved her medical records. She had surgery to remove the bullet from her stomach and spent a full week in the hospital before being discharged. She absentmindedly touched the spot where the bullet had pierced her which now had a tattoo over it to cover the ugly scar.

She studied the results of her blood work and found something odd.

"Wolfsbane?"

She read on, her eyes racing across the page.

Later in the afternoon, Stiles typed away on his laptop in the library. Ever since the events at the hospital, he was more determined than ever to find out the true identity of the Benefactor. Although he was half-kidding when he suggested to Scott that Rose may be the Benefactor, he was starting to think he was on to something.

He was glad that he had something to keep him busy. It helped him not think about Malia and the mess he had gotten himself in. He had called her hundreds of times, but she remained silent. She even skipped the classes they had together to avoid him. It was beyond frustrating. He needed this project to keep him sane.

Lydia took a seat next to him and dropped her bag on the table. "What are you looking at?"

"Articles from Rose's accident."

"You mean Scott's long-lost cousin? What does she have to do with anything?"

"Do you remember that time when someone found a girl in her underwear on the street next to the woods? That girl who said she tried killing herself on prom night? That was her."

Lydia looked closer at his screen. "No way, that was her?"

"Yeah. It looks like it was an unsolved case."

"You still haven't told me why you're looking into this."

Stiles stopped typing. "She's a suspect."

"Why?"

"Think about it. Scott told me he first saw her after Violet tried beheading him at the lacrosse scrimmage. That was around the time the dead pool first started. What if she's the Benefactor? She knows about werewolves and Scott said she shot Derek with an arrow. She might have some kind of grudge against werewolves and the supernatural world."

"But she put Scott on that list. You think she would want her own cousin dead? She even put the largest bounty on him, making him more desirable than anyone else," Lydia said.

"Well do you think your grandmother wants you dead?"

He smiled triumphantly when she didn't answer and continued reading the articles he had found.

"None of these are helping. All they say is how they found her with a gunshot wound. Probably from Kate."

"She was shot by Kate?"

"That's what I heard her say to Argent."

"Then shouldn't her dead pool have hunters on it? Not werewolves or banshees?"

"I don't know all the details yet, but I think we have enough reason to question her motives. I mean, she was gone from Beacon Hills for years and she suddenly shows up?"

"What does Scott have to say about all this?" Lydia asked.

"He's biased of course," Stiles said. "I don't want Rose to be the Benefactor either, but we have to consider all our options and we know nothing about what Rose has been doing over the last few years and why she moved back. Anyway, you still seeing Parrish after school today?"

Lydia nodded. "Hopefully he can help us."

Stiles returned to his laptop and continued to click.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! When I watched Time of Death, I really wish Scott had envisioned Allison. As you can tell, I enjoy including Allison in the story as much as I can even though she's dead. I wish they will mention her more next season.**

** Lies of a Silver Tongue - Yes, I will go more into detail on Derek and Rose's relationship. They have an interesting history and a chemistry that I'm looking forward to sharing in future chapters. Thank you for the constructive criticism. Looking back, I do see that I need to write longer chapters.**

**I have Chapter 8 already written. I'm still playing around with some ideas, so it probably won't be posted until the end of the week the earliest.**


	8. Memory

**Teen Wolf: Not Mine**

**CHAPTER 8: Memory**

Later that day, Rose returned to the Sherriff's office after work, looking for answers.

"Hi, again. I'm back," Rose said to Parrish. Lydia passed her on the way out, barely taking notice of Rose.

"Hey. Rosaura right?" Parrish said from behind his desk.

"You can call me Rose. I didn't catch your name this morning."

"Deputy Parrish. What can I help you with?"

Rose smiled politely. She had to word this properly.

"Does this have anything to do with your case?" Parrish asked before Rose could say a word.

"What do you mean?"

"I read your file, Rose. Your case was dropped per your request and it's still unsolved. Did you want to reopen it?"

"No!" Rose said, taken aback by his assumption. "That's not it at all!"

"The statute of limitations hasn't expired yet. We can help you close this case. It seems like you had a really traumatic experience at a young age. It must've left a mark in your life. We can help you find closure," he said.

"Look, I'm a clinical pharmacist over at Beacon Hills Memorial and I'm doing some research on some fatalities over the years related to the same cause of death. I was hoping you could help me and give me the files for the deceased. I don't want to reopen my case."

"Then why did you look at your file?"

"It's related to my research. That's all I'm doing - research for my job."

Parrish looked her up and down, making Rose's palms sweat. She knew that police officers had a knack for reading people.

"Are you sure there's no other reason? I can only help you if you're honest with me."

_Is this guy serious? I don't have time for this. _

"What do you know about how people store memories?" Rose asked, hoping to distract him.

He considered the question for a moment before answering. "I have some work to finish up here, but I'll be getting out of here in about two hours. Do you want to meet then?"

"Sure. And you'll have the files, right?"

"With confirmation from the hospital."

Rose groaned inwardly. "I think we both know this is an under-the-table research. You understand, don't you?"

"How about this. We meet up later, you tell me exactly what you're up to, and I'll decide if I should give you those files. Sound like a deal?"

Rose slightly glared at Parrish.

"Where do you want to meet?"

* * *

Stiles needed answers. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed the number he surreptitiously got from Scott's address book while he showered in the locker room after practice.

"Hey Rose, it's Stiles," he said when she picked up. "Do you have a few minutes to meet up? I feel really bad for drugging you at the hospital. Can I buy you some dessert?"

They agreed to meet at The Beacon of Sweets. Stiles had fond memories at the bakery from his childhood. Rose would take him and Scott for cupcakes and cookies occasionally when she babysat them. It was her favorite dessert place and he figured he could get her talking on favorable ground.

"Hey Stiles," she greeted him as he took a seat across from her.

"How's it going? Again, sorry for our last meeting. It was something I had to do," he said sheepishly.

"Consider it forgotten. I'm guessing Scott had other plans?"

"Yeah, he went to work right after practice."

He ordered a red velvet cheesecake cupcake for Rose and a peanut butter cookie for himself. They talked about college and lacrosse.

"I was really surprised to hear that you moved back to Beacon Hills," Stiles said.

"And I was really surprised to see you with Chris Argent doing God knows what," Rose replied.

Stiles smiled. He knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Oh you know. A little bit of this, a little bit of that..."

"Stiles..." Rose said expectantly.

"Look, I know you know about you-know-what. Just trust me and know that there's nothing to be worried about. Argent's not a bad guy. His daughter, Allison - "

"I know all about Allison," Rose said. She took a bite out of her cupcake. "But you have to remember that I've seen a side of the Argents you know nothing about."

"I can say the same thing," Stiles said.

Rose laughed. She had to hand it to the kid - he certainly had spunk.

* * *

At the bar of a Mexican restaurant, Rose sat on a stool at the corner, pondering over her conversation with Stiles. He had always been a curious kid, asking her questions on the ways of the world whenever she saw him. He had grown so much. She might not have recognized him had it not been for social media. When Scott had told her about him becoming a nogitsune, she couldn't believe it. She could only pray that the evil spirit would not return to its host.

Stiles spared no details. He had asked her why she decided to move back and what she had been doing in Seattle since leaving. When she questioned the events at the hospital, he had deflected them to the best of his ability, assuring her it was nothing.

A few minutes later, Parrish walked in and took the seat next to her.

"You look a lot different in street clothes," Rose commented, noticing his jeans and v-neck shirt.

"Well I can't conduct under-the-table business in my uniform. It wouldn't feel right," he responded. "Two beers, David," he said to the muscular bartender with a tiger tattoo on his arm.

"Rough day?" she asked conversationally, taking the beer bottle from the bartender. It was probably for the best that he would be having some alcohol if she was going to convince him to help her without telling him anything.

"Lots of weird things are going on," Parrish said. "Disappearances and murders over the past few weeks. It's a strange town. But I'm sure you already know that since you live here."

"I actually just moved back from Seattle."

"Why did you decide to come back?"

"To be closer to my family," Rose said. She drank her beer slowly, appreciating the flavor. "My little cousin and aunt live here. I've been away for awhile and decided that it was time to come home. Be part of their lives again."

Yes, gain Parrish's trust was what Rose must do. She had to be relatable, likeable. She needed those files.

Parrish took a long swig from his bottle. "And your parents?"

"My mother lives in Spain with my stepfather and I never met my father."

"My mom died when I was 13," Parrish said nonchalantly.

"That must've been tough to deal with." They silently drank their beer.

"Are you really researching something?" Parrish asked.

"Yes, I'm trying to find more effective treatments for aconite poisoning. I've noticed that residents in Beacon Hills seem to have this problem more than other towns in the area."

"What kind of poisoning?"

"Poisoning from wolfsbane."

"Wolfsbane? And that has something to do with your case? You also asked about memories."

"Yeah, I feel like I have some gaps in my memory about that night," she explained.

Parrish rubbed his chin. "Do you by any chance believe in psychics?"

* * *

Over at Scott's house, Lydia and Stiles sat in his room discussing the identity of the Benefactor.

"I talked to Parrish and he's going to research other patients in Eichen House who have similar characteristics as Meredith. There might be another banshee we don't know about and they're helping the Benefactor."

"That's a start," Scott said.

"There's also another possibility," Stiles said darkly.

"My grandmother," Lydia said. "She was a banshee like me, I know it."

"But isn't your grandmother...gone?" Scott asked.

"That's what we thought, but at the boathouse, my mom and I found her urn and inside was mountain ash. What if she's still alive?"

"But why would she want to help someone who wants to kill you?" Scott asked confused.

"We don't know anything for sure, but we'll find out," Stiles assured. "I also talked to Rose."

Scott looked at him disapprovingly, knowing he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

"She wanted to move back because she missed home and you and your mom. Not sure I believe her though," Stiles continued.

"Well we are the only family she has left. It's not like she can go to Spain whenever she wants."

"Spain?" Lydia asked.

"That's where my Aunt Gloriana lives. She married a Spanish guy four years ago," Scott explained.

"I researched her earlier today, too. About her attempted suicide and what she did in college," Stiles said. "The articles say she was molested and she escaped her attacker and tried to kill herself. She told the media she felt damaged and that's why she wanted to die."

"But she didn't want to die," Scott said. "Kate shot her and that was her cover up."

"It makes sense," Lydia agreed. "Anything else?"

"Apparently she's really gifted in archery," Stiles said. "She's won several national awards when she was at University of Washington. She told me she was in the archery club in college for fun. I asked her how she got into it and she said she got the idea from the Argents. She wanted to fight them with their own weapons."

"So are you satisfied now?" Scott asked him. "You still think she's the Benefactor?"

Stiles crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe not, but I still get the feeling she's hiding something."

* * *

"I don't know, I guess psychics exist," Rose said. "Why do you ask?"

"There's a girl I know. She's a psychic, at least I think she's one. Maybe she can help you remember."

"How accurate are our memories? Even if years have passed, do our memories really reflect what actually happened?"

"It's interesting how our minds work."

He went on to tell her about flashbulb memories, about how human emotions can alter memories, how memories can be wrong.

"Now I mention my psychic friend because she has an incredible gift. She actually helped me with a murder case. I think you're suffering from PTSD and that's why it's hard for you to remember what happened. She can help."

"I guess things would make more sense once I knew the whole story," Rose said.

"Exactly," Parrish said. "And how does all this relate to your research?"

"I reviewed my medical records and it said my blood had wolfsbane in it, but they later recalled that finding, stating it was a human error. They couldn't find any wolfsbane later on and I should've died if there really was any. I want to know if I had come into any contact with wolfsbane that night that could explain it."

"So you think there was wolfsbane at one point?"

Rose imagined Kate shooting her with a bullet laced with the poison.

"It's just a hunch."

By the end of the night, Parrish agreed to let Rose look through the files she asked for, and she silently celebrated as she said good night.

"Thanks, I really really appreciate this," she said.

"Sure thing. You're okay to go home?"

"Yeah, I just had that one beer," she assured.

"Okay, well come by the station and I'll get you those files," Parrish said. "Maybe we can grab another beer again sometime."

"Yeah," Rose said. "That'd be nice. I'll see you later."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Hopefully I can update quicker next time. I have lots in store for Scott and friends. Rose and Stiles also have an interesting chemistry that I'll go into later on.**

**Happy Sunday!**


	9. Test

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**CHAPTER 9: Test**

"Alive? Why do you think she's alive?"

"I know it's a long shot, Dad, but Lorraine might be working for the Benefactor or be the Benefactor," Stiles explained to his father. He and Lydia had dropped by to update his father with the most recent developments of the dead pool, including the code Lydia had received from her mother at the lake house.

The banshee nodded in agreement. "She was like me. The Benefactor knew Scott wasn't dead at the hospital, so there has to be a banshee involved."

"Hang on one second, start - " Sherriff Stilinski began to say but a loud commotion outside his office stopped him mid-sentence.

Stiles, Lydia, and Sherriff Stilinski ran out the office and saw Parrish on top of Deputy Haigh, punching him repeatedly. Haigh kept repeating the same words over and over.

"But you're dead!"

A gun went off and Sherriff Stilinski doubled over, clutching his shoulder. He cursed, calling them idiots, and Stiles ran by his father's side.

About an hour later, Scott, Derek, Lydia, and Parrish were all gathered in Derek's living room. They told him everything about the supernatural world and listened to how Parrish was able to survive the fire.

"So this is why you're on the list," Scott said, examining Parrish's hands. "You can protect yourself against fire."

"Maybe even more than that," Derek said.

* * *

Rose carefully took the plastic bags out of her backpack. Inside laid some wolfsbane flowers that she had dug out of the ground in the woods, its roots spiraling off in every direction. She retrieved her gardening gloves from the backpack and began to plant exactly twelve flowers into flower pots she bought on the way home, treating each one with care. Once she finished, she watered the soil of each pot and put them out on the balcony, positioning them carefully near the door.

She really should have done this right when she moved back. Wolfsbane had always been her friend. Whenever she felt threatened by Peter or Derek got out of line, she would pull the flower petals from the locket her ex-boyfriend, Trent Sword, had given her. Her old house had its own mini wolfsbane garden to protect her mother from werewolves. She even planted some at Scott's house.

But she was now in her new home and she had to start from scratch. A garbage bag full of mountain ash wood sat near the fireplace waiting to be burned. She had also prepared her bow and arrow for a practice session when she got a chance.

Rose refused to be defenseless. It concerned her that there were several murders in town and knowing what she knew, it most likely meant there was some kind of disturbance in Derek's world.

_Now it's Scott's world, too._

The thought depressed her. She had never wanted this kind of life for him. All those years of hiding the existence of werewolves was all in vain. She wondered for the umpteenth time how different things would have been if she had never left. A buzzer sounded around the loft, indicating someone was at the door.

"Hey guys," she said when she opened the door, slightly confused.

Scott, Lydia, and Parrish all stood before her.

"You guys know each other?" she asked, looking from her cousin to Parrish as she gestured for them to come in.

"Yeah," Scott said. "And this is my friend, Lydia."

"She's the one I told you about," Parrish said.

"Ah, the psychic," Rose remembered. She and Lydia shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"I'm not really a psychic though," Lydia corrected.

"I know. I didn't realize Parrish was talking about you, though. Are you that same girl Stiles had a crush on when he was a kid?"

Scott coughed loudly. "Yeah, but he has a girlfriend now," he said, disregarding the fact that Malia didn't want to have anything to do with his best friend at the moment.

"Yes, of course. Peter's daughter, what a lovely choice," she said sarcastically. "So what brings you guys by?"

"I wanted to invite you to dinner tomorrow night. It would make my mom happy," Scott said.

"I'd love to. You have to come bring her here. She came to visit after work one night, but I didn't get a chance to make her a proper meal. I wanna show her how much better of a cook I am now," Rose said.

"And I wanted to talk about what we talked about the other night," Parrish said.

"How well do you guys know each other?" Lydia asked. Scott found the question a little odd.

"We just met," Parrish said. "She's doing some research and needed some help from the station."

"Yeah, just pharmacy stuff," Rose said, trying to sound normal and keeping her heart rate even.

Scott wasn't fooled. "Well, I'll see you then."

He and Lydia left, leaving Parrish alone with Rose.

"How do you know my cousin?" she asked the deputy.

"He's been involved with the station before," Parrish said vaguely. He studied her in her black yoga pants and oversized hoodie with the logo of a band or whatnot on it. She seemed harmless but he remembered Lydia explaining Stiles's theory of Rose helping the Benefactor. Stiles also thought Lydia's seemingly dead grandmother might be the Benefactor's aide, so Parrish wasn't so sure he could rely on his judgment.

Lydia had found the last piece of code that she claimed her grandmother left for her. He hoped she could figure out what it all meant and that they could stop the Benefactor soon before they were all dead.

He hadn't mentioned to the others Rose's request to get the files of the wolfsbane victims, but he did tell them that she looked into her case from when she was seventeen. They didn't seem too concerned, but Derek looked worried and had wondered why she was suddenly digging through that part of her past.

Parrish decided he needed to know more about her, see if she had anything to do with the list. If he could gain her trust, maybe he could find out what she was hiding.

"This is a nice place you got here," he said politely, walking around.

"Thanks, would you like a drink?"

"Water please."

She disappeared to the kitchen and Parrish took a good look around. He noticed the backpack and gardening tools as well as the garbage bag near the fireplace. Before he could look inside, Rose was back with two glasses of water.

"Doing some gardening?" he asked.

"Yeah, I planted some flowers to liven up my balcony." They sat down on the couch and sipped their water.

"So those files you want," Parrish began. "I looked at the list you gave me and I can let you see them."

"That's perfect," Rose said brightly. "Thank you again."

"On one condition," Parrish said. "Tell me what's really going on."

Rose stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"I know you know about werewolves," Parrish said. "I was just at Derek's and they told me about it."

"What?" Rose asked incredulously. It wasn't like Derek to tell outsiders. What was he thinking? Unless...

"Did Scott add you to the pack?"

"No, of course not. I'm just a deputy looking for some answers," he replied. "Now why do you want those files? The truth this time."

"I told you, it's about the wolfsbane," she said, not convinced that he wasn't a werewolf. She contemplated slicing him like she did with Scott. Or maybe the wolfsbane would do the trick.

"Parrish, can we go outside? I need some air." She stood up before he could answer and slid the balcony door open.

He apprehensively followed her outside, mentally preparing himself to fight if she attacked him. "You can call me Jordan, you know.."

The sun was getting ready to set and Rose looked up at the pink and blue sky. She would know right away if he was a werewolf. The wolfsbane pots were right near the door and twelve flowers were enough to cause some kind of discomfort. If only she had some mountain ash ready.

He joined her at the balcony's edge and together they looked at the buildings of downtown Beacon Hills. Rose waited for him to cough or clear his throat but he remained silent. Maybe he wasn't a werewolf after all.

"So you know about our town's secret," she finally said.

"The reason you're looking into wolfsbane - does it have something to do with the supernatural world?"

She didn't answer him right away. "Yes."

Parrish raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected her to admit it, although he had known the answer.

"When I was seventeen, I got shot by a werewolf hunter. All those statements I made to the police were lies. I think she used a wolfsbane bullet and it changed my blood," she said. "While I was at the hospital recuperating, the doctor discovered I had some kind of rare blood disorder. They said they would have never discovered it had I not been shot, but I think I got it because I got shot. And she did that to me.

I need those files because I need to know all the ways wolfsbane affects humans, if something like this has happened to someone else."

Parrish could tell she was being sincere. "So you have nothing against werewolves?"

"I have nothing against werewolves who don't give me problems," she said.

A chilling phrase echoed in Rose's mind: _We hunt those who hunt us._

"Your blood disorder. Is it serious?" Parrish asked.

"Thankfully no. It's a rare type of anemia. I just have low red blood cell counts and weak bone marrow. I also had a few heart issues but I've had it treated. The doctors were impressed that the medicine worked so well. Other than that, I can live a pretty normal life. I used to get really tired but I'm able to keep my energy level up now."

"And you have no grudge against supernatural creatures?"

"Just one. Kate Argent. She's the one who shot me. She's not a hunter anymore from what Scott said."

Parrish knew that name. It was the first name on the list Lydia and Stiles had shown him, the list that had his name on it.

"Would you kill her?" he asked seriously.

She scowled at him. "Why would you ask me that?"

He didn't break away from her gaze but didn't say anything.

Rose kept his gaze. "If it came down to it and it had to be me or her, I would do it. She would kill me in a heartbeat and I rather not die when I have so much left to do in this life. I would do what I have to in order to survive."

"You don't have to justify yourself," Parrish said, calming her down. "I'm a cop, remember? I know all about making that choice."

"What's going on, Jordan?" Rose asked. "Why are you asking me all these strange questions?"

He sighed. His gut told him Rose had nothing to do with the Benefactor and his gut was usually right. But then again, she had it out for Kate Argent. Was that enough for her to help someone destroy all supernaturals, including Scott?

"Kate Argent is in Beacon Hills."

Rose's shoulders slumped in disappointment. She thought there was a better reason behind his behavior. "I know. Can't believe she rose back from the dead like that. Peter can't do anything right. Let's go inside. I'm getting cold."

They walked past the flowers and she held her breath in anticipation, but to her relief, Parrish didn't react. She had decided that she needed allies if she was going to help save Derek and find out the truth about what Kate had done to her that night. Who better than to partner with someone with official authority? As for Scott and Derek telling Parrish about werewolves, she would have to talk to them about it later.

"Come on, I have a microscope that I can use to study my blood." She led the way up to her bedroom. A laundry basket filled with underwear and other delicates was on her bed. She grabbed the basket and placed it inside her closet and took out a box that contained her microscope.

As Rose made her preparations, Parrish looked around her room. It looked like she was mostly settled in, with only one large box filled with stuff sitting at the corner near the stairwell. Several medals and trophies lined her bookshelf, many of which were for first place for various archery events. He was impressed. She must have been really skilled to earn such a collection.

"Alright," she said as she positioned a glass slide on her desk. She took out a syringe with a needle attached and inserted it neatly into her left forearm.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Parrish exclaimed. The sight of her drawing her own blood made his stomach knot up.

"Sorry, are you sensitive with this kind of stuff?" she asked him, the needle still stuck to her arm.

"Not usually, but it looks weird when someone is doing that to themselves."

She turned her back to him so that he wouldn't see.

"What's in that black garbage bag downstairs, by the way?" he asked, hoping he hadn't sounded like a weakling.

"Mountain ash wood," she replied. "And lots of it. I don't know if they told you, but supernaturals can't cross it. I'm going to burn them and save the ashes."

"Good to know," he said. He would have to be careful not to come across any of that if he was to keep his secret.

When she was finished, Rose covered the incision point with a cotton ball and band aid. She placed a drop of her blood on the slide and prepared it for viewing.

"Let's see what we can find," Rose said as she placed the slide underneath the lens of the microscope.

"See anything interesting?" Parrish asked from her bed after a moment.

"Nothing. Come take a look." She got up and they switched places.

"What am I looking for?" Parrish asked as he turned the knob on the side to focus on the sample. "It's just red blobs."

"I had a feeling there'd be nothing," Rose said. "Here's what I think happened - Kate shot me with a wolfsbane bullet and it poisoned my blood and created that disorder. When I developed the disorder, the wolfsbane somehow got absorbed by my blood, so that's why the later tests showed no wolfsbane and they retracted their original finding. By the way, you haven't said anything about this to Scott or Derek, have you?"

"I only told them you asked to see your police file from your incident, but nothing about the wolfsbane."

"Good, because I don't want anyone to know about this, especially Scott. They're already dealing with the Benefactor and Kate and we don't really know anything about this anyway. I'll probably have to teach you how to lie to werewolves. They can tell from your heart rate. Derek and Peter used to catch me all the time, but I've learned how to get around it."

He nodded in agreement. "So what happens now? How do we prove you have wolfsbane in your blood?"

"Maybe there isn't any. Maybe it left my system but left my blood damaged, hence my disorder. I need to do more research. As for those files, you can still let me have them right?"

Parrish sighed. "I guess a deal is a deal." He had a nagging feeling that he had just gotten himself into something bigger than he anticipated.

* * *

Derek laid awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. Braeden slept peacefully next to him, but Derek didn't even feel tired. He felt completely useless and defenseless. He felt weak and it drove him crazy. He could sense that all of his werewolf abilities were gone. Thoughts of hunters and greedy bastards like Deputy Haigh successfully killing him in his non-werewolf state kept him awake. He rubbed his face in frustration. The moment he found Kate, he would shake the answer out of her and make her reverse whatever she did.

A strange sound came from the corner of the room and Derek quickly sat up in bed. A startled Braeden followed suit. They both stayed silent and listened to the noise.

They looked at each other and slowly got out of bed. Derek went to the corner of the room to where his desk sat. The sound was coming from the printer. It spat out page after page, the papers falling to the floor. He bent down and picked up a few sheets. Braeden turned on a lamp and looked over his shoulder.

"It's the dead pool," she said, recognizing the list of names.

"Something's different, though," Derek said as he scanned one of the sheets. When he realized what it was, he felt his heart drop. He tossed the pages to the side except for one, then quickly stood up and retrieved his set of master keys from one of the drawers of his desk.

"What's wrong?" Braeden asked, seeing the serious expression on his face.

Derek didn't answer her. He grabbed a wooden container from the corner of his desk and with the keys, he slipped into a pair of shoes and went out the door. Braeden quickly pulled a long shirt over her body and followed behind him.

Outside Rose's door, Derek fumbled with the keys and found the one that unlocked her door.

"Rose!" Derek yelled inside the dark loft. "Rose, come down here!"

A light switched on upstairs and he heard her thumping around. He saw her run quickly down the spiral staircase as Braeden entered the loft.

"Derek? Derek, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Rose asked as she hurried to him, tying her curly hair into a knot on top of her head along the way.

"Sit down," he ordered her. Rose noticed his harsh tone and sat down on her armchair. She knew from years of experience that it was best to just keep quiet and let him explain himself on his own terms when he acted like this.

Derek handed the wooden container to Braeden. "Pour this around the chair," he instructed her.

Braeden took the box that once held the claws of Talia Hale and poured the mountain ash around Rose.

"Derek, what are you doing?" Rose asked, recognizing the dark powder.

Derek refused to answer her and turned on the overhead light, making everyone squint. Braeden completed the circle.

"Cross the mountain ash," he said with less edge in his voice. His heart thumped loudly. She had to cross, there was no way she wouldn't be able to. She couldn't be like one of them. She was Rose - delicate, human Rose.

Rose looked at her friend with a worried look. Why was he doing this? Did he actually think she wouldn't be able to cross? She stood up confidently and Derek held his breath as she stepped over the black line with ease.

"What is this?" Derek asked abruptly, holding the dead pool in front of her face.

Rose took a step back and took the paper from his hand. It was a list of names with numbers. In the middle of the page were words she couldn't understand.

ROSAURA MCCALL 20 (WANTED ALIVE)

* * *

**Yes, Rose is on the dead pool! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was fun to write, especially Derek reacting to seeing his "harmless" friend on the list. I can't wait to share with y'all the coming chapters which explain what's so supernatural about Rose.**

**Thanks for those who have reviewed. It's always good for me to see feedback and it really helps motivate me.**

**I have a bit of Allison waiting for y'all in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**


	10. Flower

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**CHAPTER 10: Flower**

Before she could process what she was reading, Derek asked her to explain once again.

"How would I know? I don't even know what the hell this is!" Rose told the two intruders.

"It's a dead pool. It's a list of supernaturals in Beacon Hills - a hitlist. The numbers show how much each person is worth," Braeden explained.

"And you're on it," Derek said. "Wanted alive for $20 million."

"What?" Braeden asked. She walked over to Rose and she handed the list to her. "What does this mean?"

"Derek," Rose said. "That list says Rosaura McCall. Not Delgado."

Derek didn't say anything. He had been surprised himself upon seeing the name. He knew what it meant though - even Malia's name was listed as Malia Hale, not Malia Tate. Sooner or later, Scott would see the updated list and figure out the truth about his family.

Rose began to hyperventilate. "I don't understand. I'm not a werewolf. And that name - I can't believe it's true. Where did this list come from and how come you two seem to know a lot about it? Is this why there's been so many murders lately? Is it because of that list?"

"It's late," Derek said. He looked at the clock on her TV stand which read 12:37 A.M. "The list can't be right. Mountain ash had no effect on you." He turned to leave. He knew Stiles thought she was connected to the Benefactor, that her reappearance was too much of a coincidence, but would she put herself on the deadpool? But then again, it seemed too convenient that she was wanted alive.

"Derek," Rose called after him. Her irritation of him breaking into her home in the middle of the night when she had an early shift, dropping a bomb on her, and then suddenly showing consideration for the late hour outweighed her anxiety. "What's going on? Tell me right now!"

He turned around and saw the annoyed expression on her face, the same expression she wore whenever he did anything stupid or rude. In this case, it was probably both. He sat down on the sofa next to Braeden who clutched the dead pool in her hands.

"Someone wants all the supernaturals gone. We call him the Benefactor. The crossed out names are the ones who are already dead. I used to be on this list for $15 million, but you took my spot."

"Why?" Rose asked, her anger simmering.

"I don't know. Why do you think you would be on there and the only one wanted captured instead of killed?" Derek asked back.

"I guess...whoever made this list sees more value in me alive rather than dead," she answered. She wouldn't tell him the other reason why she thought she was on the dead pool. "But why did you get dropped off? You're still alive."

Braeden spoke up. "It has to be because he's lost his powers. He's practically human now."

Rose looked at him in alarm. "Is this true? Why didn't you tell me before?" This must have been what Mrs. Hale had meant when she told her to save Derek.

Derek got up and walked towards the door. "I'm going to bed."

Braeden and Rose exchanged glances. "I'm Rose, by the way," she said lamely.

"Braeden," the mercenary responded just as lamely.

"And don't leave this apartment," Derek ordered from the door.

Rose stood up and crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"You're on the list and worth $20 million. People are going to come after you and you have no way of defending yourself. Just call in sick and stay put." He bent down at the doorway and poured more mountain ash from the wooden box he had brought with him, sealing the entry.

"That's not going to stop hunters, you know," she said matter-of-factly.

"Just in case," Derek said. He knew she was right, but he had to do something to put his mind at ease. If something were to happen, he wouldn't be able to protect her like all the times in the past.

He looked down at the seal he made and stretched his hand out. Where it should have stopped him, the mountain ash allowed him to cross his hand over the line. Disappointed, he dropped his hand. This was a sure confirmation that he was no longer a werewolf and it scared him. He didn't know who he was anymore.

After they left, Rose tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. She had seen Scott's name on the list, too. Why didn't he mention it before? He told her about Kate and Liam but this was the first time she heard anything about a dead pool. And was the list right about her parentage?

She grabbed her bow and arrow and went down to the parking lot, carefully stepping over the mountain ash to not break the seal on her way out. The night was cold but she had to take her mind off everything. Again and again, she shot an arrow at a wooden post in the parking lot, using the signs nailed on it as her target. She let everything go and focused all her energy on the target.

If people were going to try and capture her for money, she had to be ready. Although she had developed her skills as an elite archer, living a normal life for the past seven years had made her too comfortable. She had to relearn how to survive in Beacon Hills. No one would be taking her to the Benefactor.

On the top floor of the building, Derek looked down at her with disdain. She was as stubborn as her teenage version. Didn't she realize the dead pool wasn't a joke? He watched her hit the wooden post repeatedly. She definitely had gotten better over the years. She might have been good enough to even join a hunting clan. The thought made him scoff bitterly.

"Why are you watching Rose?" Braeden asked from the bed. When he didn't say anything she decided to ask what she had been wondering. "Is she an ex-girlfriend of yours?"

"No," Derek said. "She's just my friend. She was the only one outside my family who knew about us, besides the Argents. I told her to stay in her apartment and she's out there. She's going to get herself captured."

"Then tell her to go back inside," Braeden said, pointing out the obvious.

"I'll just keep an eye on her," Derek said. "I can't sleep anyway."

Braeden curled up in the comforter, feeling Derek's absence from the bed. She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Derek and Rose's friendship.

After an hour and a half of practicing, Rose put her bow down and pulled the arrows out of the post. She took out her keys from her hoodie and unlocked the trunk of her car. After stashing her archery gear away, she settled in the front seat and reclined the chair back to a more comfortable position. She would rest a bit then get ready for work.

Within seconds, her fatigue won and she drifted off to sleep.

It was a sunny day in the woods and Rose walked on the trail with her bow slung on her shoulder. It should have concerned her that she didn't have her quiver with her but she walked on without even noticing. She stepped off the path and made her way deeper into the woods. The whistle of an arrow slicing through air slowed her down and she saw a slender girl with dark hair and fair skin shooting at a target attached to a tree. Each time, the girl hit the bull's eye.

She stopped and smiled at Rose, waving at her to come closer. "It's your turn, Rose!"

Without taking a step, Rose was suddenly standing next to the girl with an arrow in her hand. She looked at the other archer and knew who she was.

"Allison? Are you Allison Argent?"

"Shoot," Allison ordered.

Rose took her bow from her shoulder and positioned the arrow. Oddly, the target had no arrows despite the fact that Allison hadn't removed them. She took her aim and let the string go and with a thud, the arrow hit the bull's eye.

"Nice shot," Allison congratulated.

Rose didn't know how to feel. She hated the Argents with a passion, but Allison was acting so friendly. Scott told her that she was different from the other hunters, that she had still loved him despite being a werewolf. Rose looked at her with distrust. Despite all the good things she heard about her, she still couldn't let go of the fact that she was an Argent.

Allison handed her another arrow. "This is a special arrow. Look at the arrowhead."

Rose examined the arrowhead warily and noticed the insignia stamped on it. It was a fleur-de-lis, the mark of the Argents.

"I want you to have it, Rose. Use it only when you really have to," Allison instructed. "You'll know when the time comes. And please, tell my father I miss him and to be strong."

"What do you mean I'll know when the time comes?"

"Rose!" someone shouted. The person knocked on the glass loudly.

With a start, Rose woke up and looked out the driver side window. It was Parrish.

She opened the door and climbed out her car. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's talk inside," he said and he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the lofts.

Once they were in the lobby, he let go of her and pulled out a sheet of paper from his shirt pocket. "I got up this morning and noticed this at my printer. It's a long story, but - "

"I already know," Rose said. "My name is on that dead pool thing and I'm wanted captured for $20 million." She explained Derek and Braeden's impromptu visit and the mountain ash test he performed on her.

"Then you probably know that I'm on the list, too," Parrish said.

"But I didn't see your name."

"There's three parts to the list," he said.

"So what are you? You said you weren't a werewolf."

"I don't know anything except it has something to do with fire." He told her how his partner tried to burn him to death but he miraculously survived. "That's when Scott told me about werewolves."

The elevator bell sounded and the doors opened. Derek stepped out and walked towards them.

"I told you to not leave," he said gruffly to Rose. He looked at Parrish and wondered how they knew each other.

"I was just at the parking lot. Have you been awake this whole time? You look like you haven't slept."

"Did you tell the hospital you're not coming?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I can't let this list stop me from living my life. Did Scott stop going to school?"

"Rose, people have died because of this thing. You need to take it seriously, even if you're wanted alive," Derek berated.

"He has a point, Rose. Someone could have abducted you from the parking lot," Parrish said.

"I'm going upstairs," Rose announced. "And I'll see you at the station later, okay Jordan?"

The two men watched her take the elevator up.

"Are you two dating?" Derek asked the deputy.

"No," Parrish said quickly. "I just told her to come by and get something for her job."

"Can you do something for me?" Derek asked. "Can you watch her? Be a police escort or something?"

"I have a feeling she won't like that," he said. "But I'll do what I can."

* * *

Scott slammed his locker shut. He recited some SAT words and their definitions that he had studied the previous night. He needed to ace his upcoming quiz if he wanted to keep his B.

In the middle of reciting the definition of "perfidious," he noticed Liam sitting on the stairs. He approached his beta and asked him what was wrong.

"Have you seen the updated dead pool?" Liam asked. "My printer has been going crazy since last night. It just kept printing and printing and I couldn't get it to stop. There's a lot of names crossed out. And I'm only worth $1 million now."

"My printer's broken," Scott said. "Why, what happened?"

A loud yell echoed in the hallway and the two boys ran to the source. It was Coach Finstock in his office, pages and pages of dead pool lists scattering the floor. Scott picked one up, it was the Allison list.

"Derek's not there anymore," Liam said. "But someone else took his place. Is it your mom?"

Scott stared at the name in disbelief. "It's my cousin."

Liam noticed his alpha's stiff composure. "Are you okay, Scott?"

"Her name is Rosaura Delgado. She's my mom's sister's daughter. But the list..." He dropped the sheet on the floor where it rejoined the sea of white pages.

_Rosaura McCall_, Scott repeated in his mind.

After the final bell rang, Scott left his pre-cal class and walked down the hallway towards his locker. He had been distracted the whole day, thinking about Rose and the dead pool. If the Benefactor was right, which was most likely the case considering he knew Malia was a Hale, then that meant he had a half-sister. Scott had always wanted a sibling growing up, but he never imagined that it would be under this circumstance. It made him feel uneasy knowing that his father and aunt had been involved before his father and mother had gotten married.

This would kill his mother.

Scott was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Liam waiting at his locker with someone else. Nervousness welled up inside him when he saw that it was Rose.

"Your cousin was looking for you, so I brought her here," Liam said. Scott could tell he was uncomfortable with the awkward situation. "Hope you don't mind."

"Thanks Liam," Scott said clapping him on the back. "I'll see you later."

"Let's take a walk," Rose suggested.

Scott put away his textbooks and they left the main building and headed to the lacrosse field in silence. Scott wasn't sure if he was ready for this. Everything was going to change.

They sat down in the stands, the tension thick in the air. Rose looked at her little cousin with sadness.

"Derek showed me the dead pool. I know you're on it," she began. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want you to get caught up in this mess. Isn't that why you left in the first place?"

It felt like an accusation but she knew she deserved it. He must have felt abandoned when she left after high school. They used to be so close, and she was determined now more than ever to reconnect with him, knowing what she knew now.

"I understand," she said. "I know I took Derek's spot. Did you see?"

He nodded.

"According to the list, I'm a McCall," she said in a rush before she lost her nerve. "I'm hoping it's a mistake, but chances are it's not."

"You mean you knew? And you didn't tell me?" Scott asked.

"I didn't know, but it explains a lot of things," she said, trying to calm him down. "Growing up, I always thought my father was Mom's high school sweetheart, Julio Marcarro. When I graduated from college, I wanted him to be there, so I hunted him down in San Bruno. I found him at a bar and took his beer bottle for a DNA sample. I had a paternity test done to be absolutely sure this man was my father before approaching him, and it said it wasn't him.

I confronted my mom about it and she said she was just protecting me. Knowing who my real father was would put a strain on our family and I was better off without him. I dropped it, but when I told her I was moving back to Beacon Hills, she asked me if I was still looking for him. She wouldn't say more than that. Then I went to your game and I saw you with your dad, and I started to wonder if it was him. I thought about all the times my mom said to stay away from him; she was always nervous whenever I was around him.

I was about to take a sample when he was in the hospital and run my own paternity test, but I realized if I knew he was my father, things would change between you and me and tia would never look at me the same way. After I saw the dead pool however, I just had to know. I called Mom earlier today and asked her point blank. She said yes."

"So you really are my sister," Scott said.

"I'm sorry, Scott," she said. "This wasn't the right way to find out."

Now he knew what Malia must have felt when she found out Peter was her father. The shock of knowing he had a sister made him feel numb. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he saw that it was Stiles. He ignored the call. He was probably going to tell him some new development about Lorraine Martin and Scott just needed to give his mind a break.

"You're wanted for $20 million. Maybe you should stay at my house, it'll be safer if you're not alone."

"Don't worry, Scott. Stilinski and Parrish have a cop tailing me. He's here at the school and he was with me at the hospital all day. And Derek is at the lofts if I need help." She quickly realized Derek wouldn't be able to help her since he lost all his abilities but didn't correct herself. "Besides, I don't think I can face your mother."

Kira came up behind them. "Sorry to interrupt, but Scott, we have a meeting in the locker room about the bonfire. Coach is looking for you."

"Okay," Scott said. "This is Rose, my uh - cousin." He couldn't get used to the fact that she was also his sister. The whole situation was bizarre and ultimately disturbing.

"Hey, you must be Kira," Rose said, shaking her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'll let you go, but we'll talk later, okay Scott?"

He nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, and can you please not tell your mom?" Rose requested. "Just for now until things settle down. I won't be able to make it to dinner tonight either. Please tell her I'm sorry."

"Yeah, sure." He and Kira left and walked to the locker room.

"What'd she say?" Kira had seen the new addition to the dead pool and knew what it meant.

"She's my sister," Scott heard himself say. "My aunt even confirmed it."

"So that means..." She couldn't bring herself to point out his father's indiscretion.

"Yeah, I know."

"I noticed that the bounty on me, Malia, and Liam all went down. It looks like it went to Rose's bounty. She's worth the same amount as Lydia and it's the second highest amount. Whatever she is, she must be important."

* * *

Derek called Rose again. She had been ignoring his calls and it was starting to worry him, so it surprised him when she picked up. They agreed to meet at his place.

"How are you?" he asked when she arrived.

"I think I'm still in shock," she said honestly. She walked to the large window that overlooked the parking lot below at the cop car that was parked in one of the spaces.

Parrish and the Sheriff both agreed that Rose needed a police escort. She was adamant that it wasn't necessary when they suggested the idea.

_"No one else on the list has a bodyguard," she had pointed out. She thought she was there just to get the files from Parrish, now they were pinning an adult babysitter on her._

_"No one else on the list is a human," Sheriff countered back._

_"What about Lydia? She doesn't have claws or fangs."_

_"Lydia has Scott," Parrish said simply. "Who do you have?"_

Derek joined her at the window. He saw what she was staring at. "The cop still following you?"

"Yeah, he's by the elevator right now. I don't even know why I need one. If anyone were to look up Rosaura McCall, they wouldn't find her. My name is Rose Delgado."

Derek hadn't considered that. "Well it's better this way." He noticed the locket she wore around her neck. "Is that Trent Sword's locket? I can't believe you kept it."

She looked down at the silver locket and touched it. "What? It's not like I still have feelings for Trent. I'm just using it to carry wolfsbane."

Derek shook his head. "You're still doing that? Did you talk to Scott?"

"I dropped by the school after work." She told him about their conversation and how her mother confirmed that Rafe McCall was her biological father.

"You think your aunt knows?" Derek asked.

"I doubt it. Hopefully she hasn't seen the list," she replied.

"It's kinda gross," Derek said bluntly.

"I know right?" Rose exclaimed. "How could he be with my mom and then go after her sister? It's so messed up. And I can't believe I'm half-white."

Derek chuckled.

"What? I'm serious. My whole life I thought I was full-blooded Mexican."

"You know, I've dated sisters before back on the East Coast," Derek said.

"Well did you get both of them pregnant?"

"Not that I know of," Derek joked.

Rose laughed for what felt like the first time in a long time. "Well look who's cracking jokes again. You must be spending too much time with Stiles. He's dating your cousin, right?"

"Malia and I aren't like you and Scott," Derek said.

"I can't believe she's Peter's daughter."

"She's not so bad. Just think of her as my cousin."

Rose sat down on his couch. "What's she like? Does she take after Peter?"

Derek sat down next to her. "Actually, she reminds me of my mother. She has a good instinct like her." He had never told anyone this before. It amazed him how easily he could talk to Rose again. It was like they had never fought or been separated the last seven years.

"I miss your mom. And Laura," Rose said quietly.

"Me too."

"Does Cora really have to stay in Chile?" Rose had been surprised to hear that she had survived the fire. She was even more surprised when Derek had told her he had sent her away.

"She likes it better there. Beacon Hills has too many bad memories for her, and most importantly, she's safe. I try to visit once a month and it's working out so far."

"I saw all the lists. It's all over the hospital. Don't you think it's strange that Peter isn't on it? How can you trust him after what he did to Laura?" Rose asked.

"I don't trust him," Derek said. "I even killed him to avenge her."

"Well maybe you should kill him again. Are you sure you completely lost your powers? No strength, no glowing eyes?" Rose asked.

"It's all gone. I was even able to touch mountain ash. Kate captured me and took me to Mexico. She did something to me and ever since, my powers have been gradually disappearing."

"So if you have no powers, how did you get in my house?" Rose asked. Derek had used his claws on multiple occasions to break in the high school.

"I own the building," Derek responded. "You understand why I was rough on you earlier, right? For a moment there, I thought you were a werewolf. I thought you were keeping something from me." Derek looked at his friend warily. He wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't keeping something from him.

Rose was debating whether or not to keep Derek in the loop about the wolfsbane issue. Maybe he remembered something that she didn't about the night of prom.

"Derek, do you remember prom night? When I had my accident?"

He leaned back and scowled. "I could hardly call that an 'accident.' What about it? Parrish said you looked at your file at the station. I thought you wanted to forget it ever happened."

"I've been thinking about that night ever since I saw Argent at the hospital."

The sound of the front door unlocking stopped her and a moment later, it slid open and Braeden stepped inside. She seemed to be arguing with Rose's bodyguard.

"Rose, tell him I'm not here to kidnap you," Braeden said.

"She's good, Marcus. She's my friend's girlfriend," Rose told the cop.

Braeden smiled at the officer triumphantly and shut the door as he left. She dropped her motorcycle helmet on the coffee table and joined them on the couch, sitting in between them. "Girlfriend. I like the sound of that. Don't you Derek?"

He ignored her question. "Find out anything new?"

"Nope, but I'm going to interrogate Haigh in a few hours. How are things here? Did you figure out why the Benefactor wants Rose?"

"Not yet," Derek replied.

"I was thinking. Maybe we can set up a trap tonight. You guys can "capture" me and when the Benefactor comes to collect, we can find out who he is. Maybe even capture him instead," Rose suggested.

"It's worth a try," Braeden said. "We'll need Scott's help."

Rose shook her head. "He won't be around, there's supposed to be a bonfire or something tonight at the school. We can do this on our own." She didn't want Scott to get hurt.

They spent the rest of the afternoon hashing out the details of their plan. Rose called Parrish for help but the deputy didn't pick up her calls to her dismay. Braeden would be acting as the abductor and Derek would be waiting nearby. They would pin a GPS tracker on Rose so that they knew where she was at all times. If anything went wrong, Rose would have a gun handy.

"I hate guns," Rose said as she held the one Braeden lent her in her hand with a look of disgust. "How come there's so many guns here anyway?"

"I'm a mercenary," Braeden said casually. "I specialize in supernatural hits."

"You're a what?" Rose couldn't believe Derek had let this woman sleep in his bed when he had been on the dead pool for $15 million. Braeden could have killed him in his sleep.

"Just be back here at 7," Derek said. "In the meantime, don't leave the building."

* * *

Teenagers danced all around the school courtyard. Scott scanned the sea of students and found Malia dancing in the crowd with a flask in her hand.

"Hey Malia," he greeted her apprehensively. He knew she was still angry at Stiles.

"Scott! Have a drink with me!" she said.

"You know we can't get drunk, right? We heal too fast." Scott said, steadying her as she swayed.

"Is that so? Maybe you should tell that to Liam," she said, pointing behind Scott.

Scott turned around and saw Liam at a table with Mason drinking a red cup. He turned back to Malia.

"About Stiles and the whole Peter thing, we were just trying to protect you. So please, just forgive Stiles okay? Be mad at me."

"You know, you're killing my fun," Malia said, bouncing around. "If Stiles wants forgiveness, he can come ask for it himself."

"He's not here," Scott explained. "He's trying to stop the dead pool so that people will stop hunting us."

"Oh how very noble of him," she said sarcastically. She took a long drink from her flask.

"How can he even ask for forgiveness when you won't even talk to him?" Scott asked.

Malia responded by burping loudly.

Deciding she was a lost cause, Scott left her to check on Liam. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Rose stared at her phone angrily. She had just received a text from Derek saying he and Braeden had to take care of something and they weren't able to go through with their plan. He said he would explain later.

He probably did have a good reason, but it still upsetted her. She had just slipped Marcus, her police escort, a sleeping pill. He had unknowingly taken it when he drank the tea she prepared for him, crushing the pill into a powder and sprinkling it in the cup. The poor sap was now sleeping on her couch.

She decided to call Parrish again. If Derek and Braeden weren't able to make it, maybe he could help. This might be the only chance she got. He picked up on the third ring and spoke quietly.

"I can't talk right now," he said. "I'm at Eichen House. I think Stiles and Lydia are in trouble. I'll call you later, okay?"

He hung up before she could say a word. Feeling even more annoyed, she decided to go out.

She drove to a coffee shop on Main Street and took out the copies of the papers from the files Parrish had given her that morning. In all the craziness of Scott and his father and scheming with Derek and Braeden, she hadn't had time to thoroughly look through them.

She picked up the first folder for a man named Curtis Baumer. The documents said he died after accidentally ingesting wolfsbane. She analyzed each file carefully and jotted down notes. All these people had died from wolfsbane poisoning making her question how she had survived a wolfsbane bullet that could kill werewolves. A few hours later, the cafe started to close and she gathered her things to leave.

As she walked to her car, she had a feeling that someone was following her. She opened her tote bag and retrieved a dagger and removed its sheath. It had a rustic look about it with a small inscription on the blade that read "Honor."

Rose quickly turned around and held the dagger up in front of her in a defensive position. "Who are you and why are you following me?" she asked the man who stood behind her with his hands up, showing he meant no harm.

"I'm Dr. Deaton," the man said. "I'm a friend of Scott."

"What do you want?" Rose said, still holding the dagger up.

"I need your help," Deaton said. "Can you come with me?"

"How do I know you're not going to turn me in to the Benefactor? How do I know you really know Scott?" Rose had experienced enough to not trust people. For all she knew, he was a bounty hunter.

Deaton took something out of his pocket. It was a ring. "Recognize this?" He stepped closer for her to see.

Rose raised the dagger higher, warning him. She peered at the ring in his outstretched hand. She recognized it almost immediately.

It was a silver engagement ring with a large sapphire stone cut into a perfect square. Small diamonds outlined the edge of the blue jewel. It glittered beautifully under the street lamp.

"Where did you get that?" Rose said, finally lowering the dagger.

"Talia gave it to me. Her will said that I was to keep the ring for her and give it to Derek when he was ready to get married," Deaton said, pocketing the ring.

"Alright, I'll go with you," Rose agreed.

He brought her to the animal clinic and took her to his office.

"How do you know the Hales?" Rose asked.

"I was their emissary. Now I'm the emissary of Scott's pack."

"Do you have any idea what's wrong with Derek? He's already lost all his werewolf abilities," Rose said. She hoped he would know how to help Derek get his powers back.

"You were always a good friend to Derek," Deaton replied.

"You knew about me?"

"Yes, I advised Talia to let him continue his friendship with you. That you were good for him."

"Why?" Rose asked, confused.

"Out of all of Talia's children, Derek struggled the most with being a werewolf," Deaton explained. "He needed someone outside of his family to depend on, to sympathize with him and not judge him. It's good to see that you're still helping him.

"I've been researching South American mythology that might explain how Kate was able to take away his abilities. I just arrived from Colombia. Come take a look at this mountain ash and tell me if you see anything."

Rose walked around his desk to see. There was mountain ash scattered on the desk. She had never seen it that way. After a moment, she realized it was in the shape of a flower.

"It looks like a rose," she told him. "So you think this has something to do with me?"

"I've seen the list and I know you're on it," Deaton said. "And I think I know why."

He took out a syringe and needle from his storage cabinet. "Mind if I take a sample of your blood?"

"You know about it?" Rose asked, surprised. "Did Kate Argent shoot me with a wolfsbane bullet?"

Deaton nodded. "Kate was particularly fond of Nordic Blue Monkshood."

"How come I don't remember? I remember getting shot by her, but I don't remember the wolfsbane," Rose said.

"Laura felt that it was best that you and Derek forgot. She took the memories from you two," Deaton said.

He drew blood out of Rose's arm and poured it into a test tube. He retrieved a small bottle of what looked like liquefied silver and dropped the mysterious solution into her blood. They both looked at the test tube for some kind of reaction. After a few seconds, light blue streaks started forming in the blood.

"Looks like it's still there," Deaton said. "Forgive me, you're the first person I've seen who's ever survived a severe injury caused by wolfsbane, so I'm not sure how this all works."

"Doctor, the wolfsbane gave me a blood disorder, Diamond-Blackfan anemia. The doctors said it's genetic, but it has to be from the wolfsbane."

"Maybe the doctors were right," Deaton said. "Maybe this disorder of yours was a pre-existing condition that helped you survive the wolfsbane."

Rose hadn't considered that possibility before.

"The wolfsbane is part of you now," he continued. "And I think you're the key to saving Derek's life. Had I known you were back in Beacon Hills, I would have sought your help earlier."

"I came to Beacon Hills because of Mrs. Hale. I had a dream about her and she said I needed to go back home and save Derek. That I was the only one who could do it. It's because of the wolfsbane, isn't it?"

He looked at the time and began to put his tools away. "It most likely is. If you need any help, you can call my sister, Marin Morrell." He jotted down a phone number on a notepad and gave it to her. "Now I have to go visit someone."

* * *

Parrish lead Peter to the interrogation room where Meredith was being kept. He couldn't believe Meredith was the Benefactor. It didn't make sense.

"Jordan!" someone called behind him. He turned around and saw Rose running towards him.

She joined him in the interrogation room where Meredith, Lydia, Sheriff Stiliniski, and Peter waited.

At the sight of Rose, Peter laughed heartily. "If it isn't Nosy Rosy. Long time no see."

Rose clenched her teeth. Here was Laura's murderer, just a few feet from her. She tried to calm down.

"Jordan, I'd like a word once you're done here," she said to him pretending Peter wasn't there.

"Bet you're glad to be reunited with Derek," Peter said snidely. "If only you could have been reunited with Laura, too."

Rose got close to his face. "Don't you dare talk about Laura to me," she said in a low voice. "You murdered her, you murdered your own flesh and blood."

Parrish took her by the sides of her arms and started to lead her out the room but Rose wasn't done yet. "You're a monster, Peter! You killed Laura! You killed her! And if you ever hurt Scott, I will personally make sure you pay."

"Parrish, take her to my office," Sheriff ordered.

* * *

Scott opened the door to the animal clinic's backroom. He and Kira hugged and kissed. "How's your mom?"

"She's recovering," Kira said. "Here's the rest of Satomi's pack. This is Scott," she said, introducing him to the werewolves huddled in the room.

"I already know about Scott McCall," Satomi said. Scott noticed the way she carried herself. She was definitely an Alpha, and an experienced one at that.

"Are we safe here?" one of the younger female wolves asked. She looked scared and stood close to Brett as if seeking protection. Brett looked at Scott, waiting for his answer.

"We're going to need a lot of help," Scott said. "I know a place where we can go to."

As he lead the way, Scott noticed the air. He detected Deaton's scent and another scent he couldn't quite pinpoint. He realized it was Rose but it was slightly different. The scents were still fresh. They must have been at the clinic not too long ago. He wondered why Rose and Deaton were together. It must have had something to do with Rose being on the list.

* * *

Peter released his claws from the back of Meredith's neck. The banshee started to fall but Parrish caught her before she hit the ground. Sheriff pointed his gun at Peter.

"It was your idea and you don't even remember," Lydia said. She had told the two officers everything about what she heard from Meredith's memory - that Peter wanted to rebuild the supernatural world with him as the sole leader.

"How was I supposed to remember when I was in a coma?" Peter asked.

"She got the plan from you," Lydia argued. "This is your list."

"She was listening to a raving lunatic. I was sick but I'm not anymore."

Sheriff raised his gun a little higher.

"That better be a perfect shot, Sheriff, because I don't go down easy," Peter taunted.

He pointed the gun directly on his forehead. "I'm sure a bullet in the brain will be difficult to heal, even for your kind."

"Stop!" Lydia exclaimed. "This is exactly what Meredith wants! You have to let him go."

After a moment, Sheriff lowered his gun. "That's twice, Peter. There's not going to be a third." He watched him leave, trying to calm himself down.

"No!" Meredith yelled at Peter's back. "It's not finished!"

Rose peered through the blinds of Stilinski's office and watched Peter leave. She saw Parrish walk out of the interrogation room and towards the office.

"What happened?" she asked him as soon as he walked in.

"Meredith is the Benefactor. She's a banshee who got the idea from Peter." He quickly summarized how Meredith heard Peter in his coma and carried out his plan. He also told her the events that took place in Eichen House.

"So you killed that man to save Stiles and Lydia," Rose said after his story.

"Yeah," he said, not looking at her. "I'm not proud to say this, but this isn't the first time I've taken a life. It doesn't get easier though."

She placed a comforting hand on top of his. They sat on the couch quietly. Rose decided she could tell him about her meeting with Deaton later.

Back in the interrogation room, Lydia asked Meredith why she wanted Rose captured.

"She's the flower," Meredith said. "She'll make the Alpha strong. Just like she did before."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and for the reviews/favorites/alerts! Yes, Rose is Scott's scandalous half-sister. I always didn't like the fact that Scott, Stiles, Lydia, or Allison all were only children, so I decided to give Scott a half-sister. **

**I really like Morrell's character, so she'll be an important part of the rest of the story. **

**I'm also happy to announce that there will be a sequel coming called "Wolfsblood" and we'll get to see what exactly happened on prom night. Can't wait!**

**Who else is ready for June 29?**


	11. Arrow

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**CHAPTER 11: Arrow**

Derek and Braeden were asleep in bed. The security alarm sounded and they bolted up. They each grabbed their guns and walked to the front door, expecting the worst. Although the dead pool had been stopped, they were not letting their guard down. Derek saw a shadow in the sliver of space between the bottom of the door and the ground. He gestured to Braeden and together, they slid the door wide open and took aim at the intruder. Lydia stood there dripping wet. She let out a loud scream.

A few stories below, Rose and Parrish looked up towards the ceiling. They quickly left and took the stairs to Derek's floor.

"Lydia?" Parrish said when they arrived at Derek's. She was shivering visibly. Rose rubbed the sides of her arms to warm her up.

"It's okay, Lydia. It's okay," she said soothingly.

Parrish took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. "What happened?" he asked Derek and Braeden.

"She came to the door and started screaming," Derek said. He knew what this meant - his name had unlocked the third part of the dead pool and now Lydia. He was going to die.

"Let's go," Rose said gently to Lydia, guiding her towards the elevator. Parrish followed behind. He apologized to the neighbors who had poked their heads outside to see what the matter was.

Lydia didn't say a word as the three of them went to Rose's loft. Rose lead her to her bedroom and gave her a towel and bathrobe.

"Go and take a shower, I'll wash your clothes for you. There's a hair dryer under the sink." She was about to go back downstairs when Lydia grabbed her wrist.

"Thank you," she said. Rose smiled at her kindly.

Parrish was at the dining room table, cleaning up the scattered papers on it and stacking books on top of each other. They had moved the microscope and everything that had to do with their research downstairs. "We should probably put this stuff away," he told Rose as she made her way down the spiral staircase.

"Good idea."

They had gone back to Rose's after the eventful night at the police station. Parrish wasn't pleased that Rose had drugged his fellow deputy. He woke up Marcus and released him from his duty of guarding Rose, explaining that she was no longer in danger. When the disgruntled cop left, Rose told Parrish about meeting Deaton and what he did to her blood. Rose was researching wolfsbane - how to cultivate it properly, legends about it, its cellular structure - and Parrish was reading into supernatural creatures that could withstand fire when they heard Lydia's scream.

Rose went into the kitchen and prepared some soup. She took Lydia's wet clothes and put them in the washer along with some of her dirty clothes.

"Did you hear her scream?" Rose asked Parrish. "I've never heard anything like that before."

"I think that's part of her abilities," Parrish said. "Banshees can predict deaths."

"So you mean she was predicting Derek's death?" Rose bit her lip and started pacing. "Derek can't die."

"He won't," Parrish reassured. "Scott won't let that happen."

Lydia climbed down the stairs in Rose's bathrobe.

"You're welcome to stay here," Rose told her. "It's still raining outside and it's late. Do your parents know where you are?"

"My mom is in LA for the weekend," Lydia said.

"Then you should definitely stay."

"Sorry for ruining your night," Lydia apologized, looking from Rose to Parrish.

"You didn't," Parrish said. "We were just...hanging out."

Rose transferred the laundry into the dryer and went to the kitchen. She brought out three bowls of soup on a serving tray and a pack of sodas. "I made us some soup. It's ramen, Japanese noodles."

They gathered around the coffee table where she sat the tray down.

"And you learned to make Japanese noodle soup how?" Parrish said, blowing on the soup and sipping on it. "It's good."

"I dated a Japanese guy in college and he introduced me to it," Rose said. She noticed Lydia hadn't touched her bowl. "You okay, Lydia?"

"I keep hearing things," she said. "I thought it would stop since the dead pool is done. But I keep hearing things."

Parrish shifted in his seat. "When you screamed earlier, was it because you think Derek will die?"

Lydia nodded. "It's just like Allison all over again."

Rose looked up at her at the sound of Allison's name. She vividly remembered her dream.

"I knew she was going to die," Lydia continued, tears forming in her eyes as she recalled the memory. "I tried to tell her to not come find me, but she didn't listen. She died in Scott's arms. She loved him until the very end."

Rose and Parrish stayed silent. This was the first time Rose heard exact details of Allison's death. It must have been hard for Scott to watch his first love die.

Lydia wiped away a tear and started eating her soup. They ate in silence until she stood up suddenly. She walked around the loft, as if she were searching for something.

Rose and Parrish looked at each other in alarm. "Lydia, what's wrong?" Parrish asked.

"I hear someone," Lydia said, almost whispering. "Someone's trying to tell me something."

Rose gulped. She was a firm believer in ghosts and hated the thought of one haunting her home.

Lydia walked to the hallway closet, opened the door, and found Rose's archery equipment. She pulled one of the arrows out of the quiver and brought the arrowhead close to her ear.

Rose and Parrish followed her and watched her from down the hall. Lydia hit the arrowhead softly against the doorframe of the closet. She brought it back to her ear and listened. Her eyes widened and they wondered what she heard. Lydia hit the arrowhead again with more force and listened to the vibrations once more.

She turned to look at the other two. "We have to go to the cemetery." She walked towards the front door.

"Wait Lydia," Rose called after her. "At least put on some underwear."

Twenty minutes later, Rose parked outside the Beacon Hills Cemetery. The rain had calmed down and there was only a slight drizzle. Lydia led the way through the mass of gravestones, followed by Parrish, with a hesitant Rose in the back, all with flashlights and umbrellas in their hands. Lydia slipped on the wet grass and fell backwards. She was saved by Parrish who sprang forward and stabilized her.

"Thanks," she said. "We're almost there."

"Do we really have to do this?" Rose complained behind her friends. "This is crazy!"

Lydia stopped in front of one of the gravestones. She shined her flashlight on the name.

ALLISON GISELLE ARGENT

"Why are we here?" Parrish asked. Lydia hadn't said a word of explanation about their last-minute adventure and his patience was running thin.

"Allison told me to come here," Lydia said. "That Rose needed to have something."

Rose remembered Allison giving her an arrow in her dream. She shivered. "Let's just come back in the morning. It's too dark to see anyway."

"Are you scared?" Parrish asked her.

"Of course I am. Aren't you? We're in the cemetery in the middle of the night!"

Parrish shined his flashlight on the tombstone at the inscription under the date of birth and death.

BELOVED DAUGHTER AND FRIEND

ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS

"Where is it?" he asked Lydia.

She put her umbrella and flashlight down, kneeled, and started to dig the muddy earth around the tombstone. Parrish joined her, while Rose stood above them with the flashlight.

"You can't do that!" Rose exclaimed. She wasn't the most religious person but she did believe in God and an afterlife. And she definitely believed you shouldn't mess with the final resting place of the deceased. "You're desecrating her grave! Let's just go, please! Lydia, stop!" she pleaded.

Lydia removed a potted flower in front of the tombstone and started to dig with her hands. Almost immediately, she felt something hard. "It's here!" Together, she and Parrish shoveled mud out of the way with their hands, revealing a stick poking out of the ground.

"What is it?" Parrish asked.

"It's the end of an arrow," Lydia said.

Rose's stomach dropped. Her dream was coming true. Somehow, Allison had connected with her and she was now going to receive the arrow the late huntress wanted to give her.

After several attempts and more digging, Parrish pulled the arrow out of the grave. The trio shined their lights on the arrow to examine it.

"There it is," Rose said, her heart beating so fast she thought she was going to have a heart attack. She showed her friends the fleur-de-lis stamped on the arrowhead.

"A fleur-de-lis?" Parrish asked.

"It's the sign of the Argents," Rose said. "I saw this arrow in a dream."

When they got back into Rose's car, she explained her dream and Allison's message.

"This is too weird," Parrish said. The more he knew about the supernatural world, the more he wished he could un-know everything.

"I think this is the silver arrowhead Allison made," Lydia said, examining the tip of the arrow once more. "When a hunter graduates, they make a silver bullet, but Allison wanted to make this instead. I thought they used all of them up when they fought the Oni, but this one must have gotten left behind."

"From the looks of it, this might have been a trial run," Parrish said. "Look at the fleur-de-lis. It's kind of smudged right here." He pointed at the imperfection with his muddy finger.

"But how did it get in the grave?" Rose asked.

No one had an answer.

Early the next morning, Scott woke up and shut his alarm off. Even though it was the weekend, he needed to wake up early to prepare for the rescheduled PSAT and his physics exam the following Monday. Then he needed to think of a way to impress Kira for their first date. He also had to drop by Derek's and give back the money he took from Garrett's locker. He had been horrified to see his mother standing over the duffel bag that held the cash when he got home last night. She told him it had to go back to Derek.

Scott washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He shifted to this wolf form and looked for anything different. Last night, he thought he was going to kill an assassin. It felt a lot like his dream when he was slashing the Mute before Allison stopped him. He opened his mouth and examined his fangs for any changes. If Stiles and Malia hadn't stopped the dead pool in time, who knows what Scott would have done?

He remembered what Deaton had warned before he, Stiles, and Allison "sacrificed" themselves in order to save their parents from the Darach. He had told them that they would feel a darkness around their hearts. Scott realized it was finally happening to him.

"Morning, sweetheart," Melissa greeted her son when he joined her in the kitchen. Scott could sense she was nervous about something. She put a bowl of cereal and a banana in front of him. "I want to ask you about something."

She went to her purse on the kitchen counter and took out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and gave it to Scott. "I found this at the printer at work." It was the Allison dead pool list.

Scott felt himself panicking. He did not want to have this conversation with his mother yet. "It's fine, Mom. Stiles and Malia stopped the dead pool and the Benefactor was caught last night. You don't have to worry about it anymore."

He started eating his cereal and hoped his answer would pacify her.

"I'm glad it's over, but there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. I saw Rose's name."

Scott looked at his mom in anticipation. "You did?"

"Yeah," she said, putting her hand over his. "Now you know the truth."

"You knew I had a sister?" Scott exclaimed. "How?"

"When Rose shot herself, the doctors found out she had a rare blood disorder. It's genetic and I knew your father had it, too."

Scott's head started to hurt. "Does he know, too?"

"No," Melissa replied. "After finding out about the blood disorder, I asked Gloriana about it and she finally told me about her past with your father. When I started dating him, she begged him to pretend they didn't know each other, and your father granted her request. She told me it was just a brief summer fling and that she truly believed Rose wasn't his daughter. I brought up the fact that Rose's disorder was genetic and we had a paternity test done in secret. It came out positive.

Gloriana was in tears. She said Rose could never find out. Your father and I were separated and he was living in San Francisco at the time. I wanted to tell him, but your tia said she would tell him when the time was right. I agreed that she should be the one to say it. I just didn't know it would take her years."

"So what are you gonna do now that Rose knows?" Scott asked.

"Your tia called me yesterday and she's planning to tell your father. How's Rose doing? I've tried calling her, but she's not picking up."

Scott tried calling her himself but only got her voicemail. "I'll bring her here," he said. "I'm gonna drop by Derek's to give back the money and see if she's at home."

He finished his breakfast and drove his motorcycle to the lofts. Scott dropped the duffel bag of money on Derek's coffee table. "Sorry it took so long to return it to you."

Derek looked at him with understanding. "I get it, Scott. You may be the True Alpha, but that amount of money would tempt anyone."

"You're not mad?" Scott was sure he was going to get yelled at.

"No," Derek said. "The money is all Peter's anyway. It would probably be a good thing if we didn't get it back."

"And where's your money?" Scott asked before he could stop himself. He couldn't help but notice that Derek didn't seem to have a job.

"You're standing on it," Derek said. "I own the building and a few other properties. I have some investments and mutual funds, some bank accounts. My mother passed everything down to Laura and me after the fire."

"I know Lydia was here last night. Rose told me," Scott said. Rose had texted him late last night, saying they had to find a solution before Derek was killed. "I'm sure Deaton can fix whatever Kate did to you."

"I need to go down and see Rose," Derek said. He knew she must have been angry at him for bailing on their plan to stop the Benefactor.

"I need to go see her, too," Scott said.

On their way down, they ran into Stiles who was stepping off the elevator.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"We might have stopped the dead pool, but I still want to know what Rose is and why she was so special for Meredith to want her captured instead of killed. It's all too weird, don't you think?" They rang the doorbell.

"I've already tried using mountain ash and she was able to cross it," Derek said. "I don't think she's supernatural."

Rose answered the door and let them inside. Lydia was in the kitchen cutting fruit.

"Did you stay here last night?" Scott asked.

"I did," Lydia replied. "We have lots to talk about."

They all brought each other up to speed about fighting the assassins in Argent's warehouse, how Stiles and Malia found the dead pool machine in Lorraine Martin's lake house, and how Peter was the mastermind behind the list.

"So where's Peter now?" Scott asked. He looked at Derek for an answer.

"I don't know," Derek said. "He hasn't been staying with me for awhile now. We barely even talk."

"I guess I owe you an apology," Stiles said to Rose. "I was kinda trying to convince everyone that you were the Benefactor."

"Oh yeah, that makes sense. I just wanted all the werewolves in Beacon Hills dead. Especially my cousin and my best friend," Rose said sarcastically.

"I was just trying to connect the dots!" Stiles said. "I'll get you another cupcake so we're even, okay?"

"Absolutely not. There might be a day when I'll need your help. I'll collect then," Rose said to him.

Lydia told them what Meredith said about Rose being "the flower."

"The flower," Scott repeated. "Because her name is Rose? And how did you make the Alpha strong?"

"I don't know," Rose said. "I don't remember ever making Mrs. Hale or Laura stronger."

They all looked at Derek. "If I knew what that meant, I would've already known what Rose was."

"Derek, remember prom night? Remember when I shot you with that arrow? All those events seem jumbled up in my mind," Rose said.

"So what?" Derek said, not catching on.

"I saw Dr. Deaton last night. He said Laura took away our memories. Whatever I did in the past to make her stronger, she wanted us to forget."

Derek tried to remember what Rose could have done. "I guess that's possible."

"Remember when Deucalion took Isaac's memory?" Scott said. "Deaton used ice water to get him to remember. So it's possible to recover lost memories."

"So whatever Rose can do, she's done it before. That's why she was on the dead pool wanted alive - so that Peter could use her to get stronger," Stiles concluded. "I guess my theories were wrong, then."

"What theories?" Lydia asked him.

"I was thinking about what kind of supernatural Rose is," he said. "I thought she was a siren or a succubus."

"A mermaid? Really Stiles?" Rose asked.

"What are those?" Scott asked.

"A siren is a mermaid that sings to sailors, distracting them and causing them to die in a shipwreck, and a succubus is an enchantress who seduces men and eventually kills them by feeding off their energy," Stiles explained.

"And why did you think Rose was those things?" Derek said. Rose crossed her arms and waited for Stile's reasoning, interested in what he had to say.

"As long as I've known Rose, guys have been chasing her. I even had a crush on her in the first grade. I thought she had some kind of control over men or something. Plus, she sings."

"That's not true," Rose argued.

"When was your last boyfriend?" Stiles asked, ready to prove his point.

"We broke up about three months ago."

"Exactly! You always have a boyfriend and now you're probably gonna seduce Derek and suck the life out of him which is why his name unlocked the third list!" Stiles said.

"I'm not a siren or a succubus!" Rose said in frustration. "That has nothing to do with strengthening the Alpha."

"Then we need to help you remember what happened in the past," Scott said.

"There's another thing I need to tell you guys," Lydia said. "Parrish, Rose, and I went to the cemetery last night. We found an arrow in Allison's grave. She told me that Rose needed it."

Rose explained her dream about Allison and how it was the same arrow. She also told them about her dream with Mrs. Hale.

"That's the real reason why I came back," Rose confessed. "I need to save Derek."

"So you're a banshee," Scott said. "Maybe not like Lydia, but you can talk to the dead." It gave him peace knowing that Allison was trying to help them.

"She can cross mountain ash, though," Derek said. "If she was a banshee, she would've felt a barrier."

Lydia shook her head no. "That's not true. I can touch mountain ash. I'm immune to it."

"Then that's it," Stiles said. "Rose is a banshee and she helped Derek's sister and made her stronger. But you know what I don't get - how did Rose dream about Allison when they've never met?"

"Who cares," Derek said.

"But it doesn't make sense. When we dream about people, it's people we've seen before. Our minds can't just make up faces."

"Who has a picture of her?" Rose asked.

Lydia showed her a picture of Allison on her phone. "Is this who you saw?"

Rose studied the photo. "It was definitely her. Look, I don't know how she was able to get to me, but Allison did and now I have the arrow. And I think I know exactly who I'm going to use it on."

"Who?" Scott asked.

"Kate."

When everyone got up to leave, Scott stayed behind to talk to Rose.

"My mother wants to see you. She's not angry at you. In fact, she's known since you were a teenager," Scott said.

"Really?" Rose asked. "But she never treated me differently. Are you sure?"

"Just come home with me," Scott said. "You need to talk to her."

Derek did a few more pull-ups before taking a break. He was back at his loft thinking about his sister taking his memories. He tried to remember exactly what happened when Rose shot him that had caused a rift in their friendship. Was it an accident? Did they have an argument that lead up to it? Were they in the woods, at school, at the Hale House? Derek didn't know any of the answers and was getting more convinced that it was true.

If that was the case, why did Laura feel the need to make them forget? He knew his sister would do anything to protect him. Was she trying to protect him from Rose? Did Rose do something that hurt them?

If she did, then it had to have been an accident. Rose was a strong ally to Laura. His sister had relied on her heavily after the fire. He knew Rose would never have purposely done anything to hurt them.

Whatever happened, there had to have been a good reason for Laura to take their memories. Derek was determined to find out the secret.

Rose stood outside on her balcony, watering the wolfsbane plants. She thought about Deaton's words to her the night before - that the wolfsbane was part of her now. The more they discussed what kind of supernatural she was, the more she felt that everything came back to what happened on prom night. She knew her being on the list had something to do with the wolfsbane in her blood. It made sense that she and Derek couldn't remember what happened if Laura had taken their memories.

"The flower that made the Alpha strong," she said to herself. She looked down at the wolfsbane. "The flower..."

Everything made sense to her now. She called Parrish to share the news.

"Jordan," she said when he picked up. "Where are you?"

"I'm trying to find Peter," Parrish said. "I think he's up to something. What's wrong?"

"I think I know what my blood does, why I was worth $20 million," she said excitedly. "It was so obvious, I can't believe I didn't see it before. Can you meet me later? I'll explain everything. I have to go talk to my aunt soon, but we need to see Marin Morrell."

Scott and Kira were making out on Derek's couch. Scott was glad they finally had the chance to just be normal teenagers and not worry about Benefactors or dead pools. He was determined to be good to Kira and to make up for all the time they lost dealing with their supernatural problems. Kira was important to him and he wanted to make her a priority in his life. He hadn't felt this way about anyone since Allison and it felt nice.

Scott heard something approaching and broke their kiss. The sound of glass breaking made his heart jump to his throat. They turned to the window and saw Kate in her were-jaguar form with one of her berserkers. She had a manic look in her eyes and bared her fangs at them, ready to tear them apart. Scott shifted and together, he and Kira prepared to fight.

Parrish wasn't picking up his phone or answering Rose's texts. She looked at her watch impatiently and decided that she had to leave without him. It was nearing the time for their meeting with Morrell. It was the night of Scott's game and she had wanted to cheer him on, but she didn't want to miss the opportunity of meeting with Morrell. Rose was scared that Derek would drop dead at any moment and was desperate for some answers. She needed to figure out how to save him when that time came.

She had considered telling Derek she might have found a way to get his powers back but decided against it. As much as she wanted to tell him what was going on, she knew it was better to explain everything to him once she knew for sure what her blood could do.

She drove to a small community just outside of Beacon Hills and found Morrell's house. It was a one story with a clean lawn and fresh flowers planted in the front. Morrell greeted her at the door and took her to the kitchen.

"Thanks again for meeting with me. I really need your help," Rose said.

"Alan told me about your blood and how it might help Derek's condition."

"He said that the wolfsbane was part of me and Meredith said she put me on the dead pool because I was the flower and that I made the Alpha strong. I think she meant that I was wolfsbane and from what I know of it, wolfsbane hurts and heals werewolves," Rose said. She had been concentrating on the harmful effects on werewolves and completely disregarded its healing abilities until just recently.

"That's right," Morrell agreed. "It has dual properties and can be manipulated to act as a weapon or a medicine."

"I think after I got shot by Kate Argent, my blood became like wolfsbane. Maybe Derek and Laura got hurt and I was able to cure them with my blood. Maybe it did something to Laura that made her stronger. But something must have gone wrong, so she took the memories about the whole thing away from Derek and me." Rose was sure she was right. The pieces were finally falling into place. She just had to recover what Laura took to get the whole picture.

"It's an interesting theory," Morrell said. "It's definitely worth looking into. If we can make your blood into a medicine, we might be able to save Derek."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I would love to know what you guys think will happen next. Why did Laura take Derek's and Rose's memories? Please review!**


	12. Medicine

**Disclaimer: Teen Wolf is not mine.**

**CHAPTER 12: Medicine**

There was no trace of Scott and Kira in the loft. Stiles bit his thumbnail, knowing something was wrong. It was evident that a fight had taken place. His father, Derek, and Braeden were all discussing what could have happened to the couple.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out with clumsy hands, hoping it was Scott returning his calls. It turned out to be Lydia.

"It's me and Dr. Deaton. We know where Scott and Kira are," Lydia said.

"Kate took them to Mexico," Deaton said. "They're in La Iglesia. You have to go there if you want to save his life."

"Dammit. Mexico again?" Stiles hung up the phone and started to formulate a plan in his head.

"What's going on here?" Rose had walked through the open door. "I saw the cop car and broken glass outside. What happened? Where's Scott?"

Derek decided he was the best one to break it to her. "Scott and Kira are gone," he told his friend. "Kate took them to Mexico."

Rose shook her head, not wanting to believe it. "No."

Stiles put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll find them, I promise..."

To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tight.

"We'll find them," Stiles said with confidence. He was determined to get Scott and Kira back by any means.

* * *

Rose packed her archery equipment. It was early morning and they were going to leave for Mexico in a few hours. The night had been rough and she could barely sleep. She hated Kate even more for taking Scott. Knowing her, she would probably torture him like the crazy, soulless demon she was before killing him. Rose couldn't let that happen.

She picked up Allison's arrow and put it in her quiver along with her other arrows, thinking about the other archer's message. If she came face-to-face with Kate, she was going to use the arrow to stop her. She was sure Allison had meant for her to shoot the arrow at Kate and Rose was happy to oblige. It would be payback for Kate shooting her all those years ago and for burning the Hales alive. Her phone rang and Morrell's name lit up the screen.

"Marin?" Rose answered.

They had spent the previous night testing out her blood. Morrell tok multiple samples from Rose and experimented with different ingredients, looking for the right combination that would help Derek. Rose searched through Morrell's library that was filled with books about the supernatural, reading about different remedies using wolfsbane and keeping her eyes open for anything that could explain what Parrish was.

"Can you come by? I need your help. I may have found something that could really help Derek. I also talked to my brother and he knows what Kate did," Morrell said in a hurry.

"I can't," Rose lamented. "Scott's in danger and I have to help the others find him. I'm leaving for Mexico soon."

"I know you're worried about Scott," Morrell said. "But the others can take care of it. You, on the hand, are the only one who can help Derek and time is running out. He may not make it back from Mexico alive. You can bring him back and restore him."

Rose didn't know what to do. She wanted to find Scott and stop Kate, but she also wanted Derek to survive.

* * *

Stiles, Liam, and Malia arrived at the rendezvous point, ready to leave. Stiles felt slightly guilty for disobeying his father but there was no time to waste - Scott needed them now. He had touched base with Argent and Parrish who would be meeting them later after Argent was discharged from the hospital. They needed all the help they could get.

Derek arrived with Peter and Stiles defensively stood in front of Malia. "You're bringing him? After everything he's done?" he said to Derek.

"You're bringing him? He can't control his shift yet," Derek retorted, nodding at Liam.

"I'll control it this time," Liam said. He was determined to not mess things up and be useful. For the first time, he was glad he was a werewolf. He wanted to be strong and help Scott and he wanted to show the others that he could be one of them.

Derek went back to his car and took out the triskelion medallion given to him by his mother out of the glove compartment. He had kept it ever since the night Kate had tricked his teenage self to open the Hale Vault.

Braeden drove up in a white prisoner transport van. Upon seeing her, Peter decided to hurry the group along.

"Time to go. Everyone in their cars," he instructed.

"We can't leave yet," Stiles said. "Lydia and Rose aren't here yet."

"We have to leave now before the full moon," Peter said. "Kate might do the same thing she did to Derek. Do you really want that to happen?"

"She wants to make him younger?" Liam asked.

"Or take them back to when he wasn't a werewolf." Derek said. "Where's Rose and Lydia?"

"Lydia went to school to get something of Kira's and I don't know where - " Stiles paused and quickly answered his ringing phone. "Where are you?" Stiles asked.

"Something came up," Rose said on the other line. "I can't go to Mexico with you."

"What about Scott?"

"I'll explain later but I have to stay and take care of something. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't absolutely necessary," Rose said.

"Rose, you're the worst cousin/sister in the world!" Stiles berated.

"I know! Just bring Scott and Kira home and be careful," she said. "And Stiles, if something happens to Derek, you must call me immediately. Can you do that for me?"

Stiles agreed. Rose asked to speak to Derek and he handed the phone to him. He wondered what was more important than going to Mexico.

"Derek," Rose said. "Be careful, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

"You don't think I'll make it back, do you," Derek said.

"Whatever happens, I'll find a way to save your life."

* * *

Rose rushed to Morrell's house, hoping she wasn't making a huge mistake. Allison had said to use her arrow when the time was right. What if that time was in Mexico and she missed her chance?

When she arrived, Morrell immediately drew her blood. Her arm was already bruised by all the times the needle went through it and she was starting to feel weak from the loss of blood, but she ignored her complaints. If Derek was going to live through this, then these small pains were well worth it.

She had talked to Parrish on her way over and gave him the same instructions as Stiles - to call her if Derek was in trouble.

"Kate performed an ancient ritual that took away Derek's abilities and one of the key ingredients was wolfsbane," Morrell explained as she worked. "According to the legend, you can take a werewolf's essence away by wrapping him with wet cloth and wolfsbane and leaving him in a place with high supernatural energy overnight during the new moon. It symbolizes rebirth. However, Kate modified the ritual and brought Derek back to a time when he was still learning, when his abilities weren't fully developed. That caused his body to slowly regress until he no longer had anything left - his powers were that of a baby werewolf.

I've been working all night on a medicine that will resurrect Derek when he dies. And when he does, I expect we have six to twelve hours to bring him back. If it works, it should also restore his abilities - all of them."

"So what can I do to help?" Rose asked.

"There's wolfsbane in the cupboard. You were infused with the blue species, so take the blue petals and crush them into a fine powder. We need a mixture of your blood and the actual flower to make this work - fresh blood. From what I've seen, fresh blood reacts most closely like the real wolfsbane. I'll work on getting your blood to the right consistency to mix smoothly with the powder."

Rose did as she was told and started to crush the petals with a mortar and pestle. "So how do you know this remedy will work?"

"I don't," Morrell answered. Rose wished the emissary could be more positive.

"I'm going off purely on experience, instinct, and luck," Morrell said, stirring Rose's blood in a metal bowl over a fire. Rose thought she looked like a witch brewing a potion. "Go and eat something and take some iron pills. You'll need your strength."

"And you really think my blood will help heal him?" Rose asked, reaching for an energy bar.

"You're blood is incredible, I've never seen anything like it," Morrell replied, dropping herbs and liquids in glass vials into the bowl of blood. "It's like the wolfsbane is thriving. You're the perfect host for it. I expect its properties are enhanced at least ten fold to actual wolfsbane. And the fact that your blood is type O will make it easier to enter Derek's blood and heal him."

"I hope you're right," Rose said thoughtfully. "Because Derek has to live."

* * *

Derek grunted in pain and leaned back against a large rock. The wound where the berserker had stabbed him burned painfully. It felt like a hot knife had cut through him, tearing through the flesh and leaving it raw. He had felt excruciating pain before, but never like this. By now, his werewolf healing would have been repairing the wound, but all he felt was himself getting weaker. He knew this was the moment Lydia had known would come.

"I'm fine, go and find them," he told the others.

Braeden leaned over and examined the wound carefully. Blood gushed out of the deep cut.

"How bad is it?" Peter asked.

She looked back at the group and didn't say anything.

"Just go!" Derek pleaded.

Peter ran towards the door of the church. Malia and Liam soon followed, but Stiles stood there, not wanting to leave Derek behind. After a moment, he ran after them but stopped and turned back to his friend. He wasn't sure he would get another chance to see him.

Inside the church, Stiles pulled out his phone and called Rose.

"It's Derek," he said when she picked up. "He's hurt. Bad."

"Someone needs to bring him back to Beacon Hills," Rose instructed. "Where's Jordan?"

"I don't know."

"I'll call him. Thanks Stiles and be careful!"

Outside the church, Kate arrived with her team of berserkers shortly followed by the Calaveras hunters. Sounds of gunfire shook the night sky as Braeden and the Calaveras shot repeatedly at the berserkers, trying to bring the human beasts down.

Derk slumped awkwardly on his side, clutching his wound, panting for air. The fight raged on behind him.

"Derek!" Braeden cried. She ran to him and helped him sit upright against the large rock. He looked down at himself and saw blood seeping through his shirt, his hands stained bright red. Braeden was frantically speaking to him, but he understood nothing she said.

On the other side of the battlefield, Parrish arrived with Argent. "Sir, I need to bring Derek back. Rose has a medicine for him. Will you be okay?"

Argent nodded. "Good luck, kid."

Parrish gave him one of his guns and a large box of bullets. He waited until the ex-hunter took cover behind a ruined building before driving around the backside of the old church. He hit the brakes when he got close enough to Braeden and Derek.

"Help me get him inside!" he yelled at Braeden over the sounds of gunfire.

Without question, she did as she was told and together, they secured Derek in the backseat of the SUV.

"I'll stay and make sure no one follows you. Where are you taking him?" Braeden asked.

"Beacon Hills. I have to go," Parrish said hurriedly. He drove away from the fight and floored his car, hitting two of the berserkers in his path.

"Hang in there, Derek," Parrish told him. He sped quickly on the dirt road back to Beacon Hills. "Marin and Rose are gonna fix you up. We're going to meet them now. Just stay with me."

Derek was only partially aware of Parrish's presence and the fact that he was in a moving vehicle taking him to God knows where. As he could feel himself gasping for air, the pain unbearable, he thought of the many times when he stared death in the face. This would be the last time. At least he could be with his mother again. He closed his eyes and let the pain win, feeling at peace. In the last moments of consciousness, he thought he heard the howl of a wolf echoing far in the distance.

* * *

"Scott, listen to me!" Liam pleaded as Scott held him around his neck against a stone pillar. "You're not a monster, you're a werewolf like me!" It was the same thing Scott had told him on his first full moon. He hoped Scott would recognize his own words and remember who he really was.

Liam saw something change in Scott's eyes. The animal in him was shifting back to humanity. To Liam's relief, Scott put him down. The alpha stepped away from the others and began removing his bone armor, piece-by-piece. Lastly, he placed both palms against the skull around his head and broke the bone with ease, releasing himself from Kate's nefarious spell.

"You!" Scott shouted at Peter. Everyone turned to look at the older werewolf. "You're the only one who knows as much about Berserkers as Argent. You helped Kate."

"I helped my family," Peter retorted angrily, standing tall. "I'm the head of the Hales, the Alpha is supposed to be mine. For years, the Hale Pack has always been the strongest on the West Coast. You've made the pack weak, a punk kid who won't even kill even though it's justified. And now I'm going to take back what's rightfully mine and make my pack strong again. Remember Scott, I was the first Alpha. My bite made you and my bite can kill you."

Both werewolves transformed and charged at each other.

* * *

Rose sped down the empty highway, heading south. Parrish had informed her that he was on the way back and that Derek was gone. She prayed that their medicine would work, that Marin was right and whatever her blood could do would heal him.

"Once we get to Derek, we'll start out with a small dose and see how his body reacts. If it accepts your blood, we can increase the dosage accordingly," Morrell said beside her.

"But he should accept it, right?" Rose asked nervously.

"The blue species is best for healing, so his body should recognize your blood as blue wolfsbane and react well to it," Marin said. "Unfortunately, it's most effective with fresh blood so we'll have to work fast."

Rose looked at the time. The trip would take about seven and a half hours, but since they were meeting Parrish somewhere in the middle, she hoped it would only take three hours. Morrell had said they needed six to twelve hours to revive Derek. Rose wasn't sure how long it would take the medicine to take affect and how much blood she would have to donate. She had already lost a lot of blood from the experimenting phase but was determined to give as much as she can, even if it meant putting herself at risk.

When they finally reached Parrish, they climbed in the backseat of his car and went to work. Rose ignored her grief at seeing her friend dead and drew her blood while Morrell took out a vial she had prepared with the rest of the ingredients inside. Morrell took a third of a cup of the blood and poured it inside the vial. She shook it vigorously to mix everything together, then pulled out a cigarette lighter and lit the bottom of the vial.

"Cut his shirt open," she told Parrish and he ripped Derek's shirt, revealing the bloody wound. Rose stared. She had never seen Derek look so human, so fragile and mortal.

Once it was ready, Morrell took a needle and syringe and drew the medicine with careful, gloved hands. She leaned over Derek's still body and injected the blood into his chest. She told Rose to keep the time.

After a few minutes, Morrell looked at the injection site for any abnormalities.

"Is it working?" Rose asked, worry etched on her face.

"It's too early to tell, but his body isn't rejecting your blood," she said. "It's a good sign." She administered the rest of the medicine. "We'll give him a dose every hour for now."

They took off into the night towards Beacon Hills, leaving Rose's car behind. Parrish drove quickly while Marin stayed with Derek in the back, monitoring him.

"Are you okay?" Parrish asked Rose who sat in the passenger seat. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," Rose said. "I just need to eat." She took an energy bar out of her bag along with the iron pills Morrell had given her. No matter how much she ate, she always felt hungry. As she chewed away, she told Parrish about her blood's ability to act like a medicine or a weapon and what Kate had done to Derek. Parrish recounted what he saw in Mexico and how he found Argent in the sewer.

"Argent said Peter was helping Kate," Parrish said.

"But they hate each other," Rose said. "Wait, if he and Kate were working together, that means he must have been in on the plan to take Scott to Mexico!" She fumed at the realization. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"Calm down Rose," Morrell said from the backseat. "Take some more iron. Every time we administer the medicine, you have to replenish your blood with iron. You need to stay healthy if you're going to give Derek your blood."

A few hours later, they arrived in Beacon Hills. Morrell instructed Parrish to go to the woods. It was already mid-morning.

"We need to take him to the Nemeton," she said. "It's spiritual energy will help bring Derek back."

They parked inside the preserve as far as the trees would allow. Parrish carried Derek on his back and Morrell led the way to the three-mile hike to the Nemeton.

"You okay?" Rose asked Parrish when they stopped to give Derek another dose of medicine.

"I'm good," Parrish said.

Morrell checked for a pulse but found none.

"Parrish! Rose!" Lydia called out, running towards them.

"How did you find us?" Parrish asked in amazement.

Lydia didn't answer and only looked at Derek's still body. She knelt down and two tears escaped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said to him. It was times like this when she wished she wasn't a banshee - she hated knowing when someone would die, especially a friend.

"It's okay Lydia," Morrell said to the banshee. "We have medicine that will bring him back." She and Rose packed up their equipment and Lydia helped Parrish get Derek on his back.

"I thought you went to Mexico," Rose said to Lydia.

Lydia told them how a berserker tracked her down at school, distracting her. Rose asked her if she could sense that Scott was dead or not. The banshee reassured her that he was alright.

They hiked along in silence, going as fast as they could. Beams of sunlight shined on them through the tree branches. Parrish felt fatigue weakening him but he refused to stop until they got there. He noticed Rose trailing in the back and hoped she was strong enough to make it through.

"It's up ahead," Morrell said and she ran forward.

Rose, Lydia, and Parrish followed behind. "No!" they heard Morrell say. When they reached her, they saw the problem.

A huge boulder sat on top of the Nemeton's trunk. How it got there was anyone's guess.

Parrish kneeled down and Rose and Lydia helped him get Derek off his back. "I'll move it," he said.

"How?" Rose asked. She touched Derek's face. His body was cold and was starting to feel stiff. She sent a silent prayer up above, pleading for help.

"I'm a supernatural, remember?" Parrish said as he walked up to the boulder. With all the strength he could muster, he started to push against the boulder. Morrell and Lydia joined him and the three of them pushed.

"Let me help," Rose offered but Morrell waved her back.

"Just stay with Derek," she said, knowing that her blood loss had weakened Rose.

They pushed again and this time, the boulder inched forward. After twenty minutes of pushing, the boulder was about to topple off the tree trunk.

"I got this," Parrish said, wiping his sweaty face. With a loud cry, he mustered every bit of strength left in him and pushed the boulder off. With a loud crash that sent the birds to the sky, the boulder slid off the Nemeton and rolled a foot away.

Parrish panted and breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. He noticed Morrell staring at him. "What is it?"

"Your eyes," she said so that only he could hear. "They were glowing."

"Help me get Derek on the Nemeton!" Rose called.

Parrish went back for Derek, dismissing Morrell's observation for the moment. He would ask her about it later.

They laid Derek on top of the Nemeton's trunk.

"Lydia, go to the animal clinic and see if Dr. Deaton is there. Tell him I need him here," Morrell said. "We also need more supplies." She recited a list of ingredients for the medicine.

"I'll go with her," Parrish said. "And I'll pick up some food and water."

Once they were gone, Rose drew her blood once more. "Thanks," she told Morrell. "I don't want her to see this."

"It's best if no one else knows about this. Let's just keep this between you, me, Parrish, and Alan," she replied. She looked down at her watch. It had been almost eight hours since Derek died. She estimated they only had four hours left to bring him back. If he was still dead by then, he would be gone for good.

"Rose, after all this is over, you have to promise to not do any more experiments on your blood," Morrell said.

"Why not?" Rose asked. "My blood could make Scott stronger. I have to see what it can do."

"It's not advisable," Morrell said firmly. "An experiment gone wrong could kill him."

Rose looked down at Derek's body and imagined accidentally killing Scott. She wanted to know everything about her blood, but Morrell had a point. She would never forgive herself if Scott died because of her thirst for knowledge. She cupped Derek's face with the palm of her hand. "Fine. I won't do any experiments."

* * *

Braeden raced forward in the prison transport van with Peter subdued in the back. She had to get back to Beacon Hills as quickly as possible and see if Derek was okay. Scott and Stiles guarded Peter, making sure he wouldn't wake up.

As they passed an abandoned car on the side of the highway, Scott urged Braeden to stop. She pulled over and Scott got out and ran towards the vehicle. "It's Rose's car," he said, recognizing it.

Kira pulled over in Derek's car and rolled the windows down.

"What's wrong Scott?" Malia asked from the passenger side.

"Rose was here with someone else. She was worried about something," Scott said, smelling the anxiety from the car. "I think she went with Parrish and Derek. Stiles, drive the car back and try to call Rose. If she doesn't answer, try Parrish again. I'll stay with Peter."

Stiles reached his hand through the open crack of the passenger side window and unlocked the car. As expected, there was no key to be found. He was ready to hotwire the car when Kira and Malia showed up.

"I'll turn it on for you," Kira said. She popped the hood open and placed her hand over the engine. She blasted electricity inside and the car roared to life.

"Awesome!" Stiles whooped. "Thanks!"

"No problem," Kira said modestly. "Just a new trick I learned."

Malia got in next to Stiles and the three cars headed back home. Stiles tried calling Parrish and Rose but both went straight to voicemail. He got another idea and called Lydia.

"Stiles! Are you guys okay? Did you find Scott and Kira?" Lydia's frantic voice said over the speakerphone.

"Yeah, we're all okay. What about Derek? Have you seen him?"

"He's in Beacon Hills. Parrish, Rose, Morrell, and I are at the Nemeton. They have some medicine for Derek. Come here as quickly as you can."

"But how is he?" Malia asked.

"He's dead," Lydia said. "But Rose and Morrell are trying to bring him back alive."

"Can she do that?" Malia said.

"I'm not sure, but they're trying," Lydia responded.

Stiles looked at Malia in shock. He couldn't believe Derek was dead - he always saw Derek as a formidable force, almost immortal. Malia reached for his hand which he took. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand soothingly. "We're almost there."

* * *

**Thank you for reading! We're nearing the end people but every ending has a new beginning. I will be posting the first chapter of the sequel to "Survive" right after the end. **

**The next chapter will be the very last chapter so I wanted to ask if anyone saw a pattern throughout all the chapters. I decided to challenge myself and for every chapter, I did something that a very observant reader could see. Can anyone tell me what I did? Please leave a review telling me what each chapter has in common.**

*****HINT*****

**I open at the close. (Yes, I enjoy Harry Potter too.)**


	13. Resurrection

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**CHAPTER 13: Resurrection**

It was mid afternoon when Lydia and Parrish returned from town with everything Morrell asked for along with sandwiches, two large packs of bottled water, some camping gear, a pillow, and blankets. They had passed by the animal clinic but didn't find Deaton.

Morrell and Rose ate while Parrish covered Derek's cold body and Lydia poured mountain ash around the Nemeton for protection.

"What if it won't work?" Rose asked aloud to no one in particular. It was a question that kept haunting her as the hours passed by with no response from Derek. All her life she had feared failure - failing auditions for the school play, failing pharmacy school, failing at her job. This was one failure that couldn't happen. She couldn't lose Derek like this after they had finally reconciled.

"It will," Parrish said confidently, stepping away from the Nemeton so that he wouldn't get trapped in the mountain ash barrier Lydia was creating.

"You have to have faith," Morrell said. "The more positive energy that flows through here, the better his chances are of coming back. Remember, this is a place of supernatural energy. If we believe the medicine will work, the Nemeton will use that energy to heal Derek."

"But isn't the Nemeton a beacon for malevolent energy? This was where the nogitsune came from," Lydia said.

"No, the nogitsune didn't come from the Nemeton, it was only contained by it," Morrell explained. "The Nemeton's energy can be good or bad - the choice is influenced by those who inhabit this space. For example, when Jennifer Blake used the Nemeton for her rituals, she created negative energy. She used the Nemeton to carry out her revenge."

"So the Nemeton is like a living entity with both light and darkness," Parrish said.

"Like a human," Rose added, "And we choose which side wins." She looked at Derek laying peacefully on the Nemeton and wondered if Laura looked as peaceful in death. Then she remembered that Peter had cut her in half and a picture of Laura severed into two pieces like a broken doll manifested in her mind. She pushed the disgusting thought away, focusing on Derek. If they were going to pull this off, she needed to trust that her blood and the Nemeton would be enough.

Scott and the others soon found them. Braeden rushed to Derek's side, unable to stop her tears at the sight of his lifeless body.

Rose gave Scott a big hug, not wanting to let go. "Thank God you're alright!" she said. Lydia had told them that they were all okay after her conversation with Stiles, but Rose was glad to see him unharmed with her own eyes. "Does your mom know where you are?"

Scott assured her Melissa thought he was at lacrosse practice and he asked about Derek.

"We're still giving him medicine," Rose answered. "We have about three hours before Marin says we'll lose him."

"What about you? You look really pale," Scott said, noticing the dullness of her skin which was usually a rich, tan color.

"I'm just tired," Rose said dismissively. "It's been a long day."

Scott knew it was more than that, sensing that her health was slowly deteriorating, but dropped the subject. He followed her to the tree stump where Derek's body laid. Rose unsealed the mountain ash barrier to let him inside. He stooped down beside Derek, not believing his eyes. Over the past year, Derek had become a good friend and mentor. He knew he wouldn't have been able to get this far as a werewolf without him. Derek had taught him so much. He didn't want to say goodbye yet.

Kira, Stiles, Malia, and Liam gathered around the body with Scott.

"Derek, you have to come back," Stiles said. "We still need you."

Scott touched the body with a hesitant hand. He was cold and stiff. It was barely a day since he was talking to Derek, returning Garrett's money and asking if he could borrow the loft for his date with Kira. So much had happened since then.

Rose looked warily at Malia. _So this is Peter's daughter._

"What?" Malia asked, noticing Rose looking at her.

"So you're Derek's cousin," Rose said, altering her thoughts.

"And you're Scott's cousin. And sister apparently," Malia fired back. "What are you doing to him? Are you sure it's actually helping?"

"Relax Malia," Stiles said beside her, his hand squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "They're doing everything they can. I'm sure whatever medicine they're giving him is working."

"Yeah, Rose and Morrell have it under control," Scott reassured. "Rose graduated at the top of her class and Morrell is a good emissary. Even Deucalion wanted her help."

"But why isn't he waking up?" Malia complained, not masking her impatience. "Shouldn't it have worked by now? What if they can't save him?"

"We will," Rose said simply. She rubbed Derek's cheek with her thumb and looked at him with an expression that Scott couldn't quite name. "He'll make it."

Rose and Morrell prepared the medicine inside the camping tent Parrish brought so that the others wouldn't see. Morrell sprayed a solution in the air that would keep the werewolves from smelling Rose's blood. Several moments passed after they injected the medicine in Derek's chest when Scott detected the faintest sound of a heartbeat. "You hear that?" he asked Malia and Liam.

"His heart!" Malia exclaimed.

Morrell hurried to the tree stump and placed her hand on Derek's bare chest, waiting for a heartbeat. To her relief, she barely detected a pulse. "He's alive!"

Rose joined her. "The medicine worked?"

Morrell took Rose's hand and placed it over Derek's chest. Tears sprang into Rose's eyes as she felt the weak beating of his heart. Morrell checked her watch. It had been approximately eleven hours and eleven minutes.

"Derek, can you hear me?" Rose said softly. "You have to get better. You have to wake up. I promised your mother. You still have to get married and have lots of little werewolf babies. You have to rebuild the Hale Family."

"And you still have a lot to teach me," Malia added. "Wake up Derek."

Morrell pulled Rose aside.

"I'll keep a close eye on him. For now, why don't you go home and take a break? The hard part is over. We can administer his doses every four hours," Morrell said. "Are you okay to help now? That way you can rest uninterrupted."

"No, I can't leave him now. I wanna be here when he wakes up," Rose said. "And I thought you needed the medicine to be fresh?" She understood the message Morrell was discreetly asking her - if she could take her blood now so she could use it later without Rose being present.

"It won't be as potent but it'll still help," Morrell said. "I don't think Derek will need it as strong since he's already been revived. Go and get some rest."

"She's right, Rose," Scott jumped in. "You're tired and you're getting sick. Stiles and I will bring you home."

"But - " Rose started to argue but Parrish pulled her towards the tent. Morrell followed closely behind. The emissary took as much blood as she thought was safe and kept it in a large glass bottle. She put the bottle inside a small styrofoam cooler with dry ice to preserve it.

"Are you sure you have enough?" Rose asked. "You can have some more just in case."

"It'll be enough. Just take care of yourself," Morrell said. She was concerned that they were getting too much blood from her too fast.

"Go and rest," Parrish told Rose. "We'll call you if anything happens. And after all this is over, I'll buy you a big dinner with the best steak in town."

"But what about you guys? You've been here all day too," Rose said.

"We'll take turns," Parrish said. "Now go rest before you pass out."

Scott instructed the others to go home as well. Morrell, Braeden, and Parrish were left to stay with Derek and monitor his recovery.

Rose felt too weak to make the trip back on her own so she rode on Scott's back. They were joined by Stiles, Malia, Kira, and Liam who were happy that Derek was alive.

"I can't believe you actually brought Derek back to life," Liam said in awe. "How'd you do it?"

"It was all Marin," Rose said. "She created the medicine. That's why I couldn't go to Mexico. She called me and said she needed my help."

"So now you're a pharmacist for werewolves?" Stiles joked.

"We're not in the clear though," Rose said seriously. "He may be alive but he's comatose and we don't know how long it'll take before he wakes up."

"I'm sure he'll wake up soon," Kira said positively. "Now that he's alive, his werewolf healing should be working, right?"

"I hope so," Malia said. "You think he got his powers back?"

"Marin said the medicine should restore him back to his old self," Rose said.

Stiles drove Rose's car and dropped Liam off while Lydia drove Malia and Kira home. When they got back to the lofts, Scott carried a sleeping Rose up to her apartment.

"She looks awful," Stiles said as Scott tucked her into bed. "She looks like me after the nogitsune left my body. What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, but she's weak," Scott said. "You should go find your dad. He's probably worried."

"Hey, what's this?" Stiles asked, picking up a framed photo beside the bed. He studied the three people in the picture. It was two teenage girls and a teenage boy in the woods. "That's Derek."

Scott leaned over to take a look. "Yeah and there's Rose." He pointed at the third person, a beautiful girl with fair skin and long brown hair that lay straight past her shoulders. "That must be Derek's sister, Laura. They look happy."

"What did Rose do to you?" Stiles asked the teenage Laura Hale. "And why did you make her forget?"

Stiles put the photo back on the nightstand and left. A few minutes later, Lydia arrived.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked. "You should be home with your mom. You've been through a lot today."

"I know Rose is sick. She's been pale ever since I saw her this morning. I brought some food for her," Lydia said, holding up a plastic bag. "Kira said this was the best ramen in town."

"The noodles in the cup?"

"This is authentic ramen from an authentic Japanese place," Lydia corrected him patiently. "Besides, I can't let you handle this on your own."

Scott thanked her and they walked up the spiral staircase to Rose's bedroom to wake her up.

* * *

Deaton examined Derek's body. "His condition is stable," he said to Morrell, Braeden, and Parrish. "You did a good job, Marin. Now we just have to wait."

"When will he wake up?" Braeden asked.

"It's hard to tell," Deaton replied. "This is out of my scope of knowledge. It could take hours or it could take days. Where's Rose?"

"She's resting at home. She's not feeling well," Parrish said.

Deaton nodded in understanding. He knew the treatment had probably taken a toll on her. "I'll go check on her. For now, keep monitoring Derek. I have an idea that may help speed up his healing. After that, we'll move him to the clinic for the rest of his recovery if we need to. I have IV's there."

"Okay, so let's do it now," Braeden said, relieved there was a plan other than waiting. She wasn't used to taking the passive road.

"We should wait for Rose," Deaton said.

"Why?" Braeden asked.

"Doctor Deaton, Argent called me earlier and said he and the Calaveras are tracking Kate. They think she'll head back to Beacon Hills for Scott," Parrish said, changing the subject.

"We'll keep alert for any signs of her. Make sure the mountain ash is sealed at all times. She won't be able to get through as long as the barrier is here."

* * *

Scott and Lydia sat on either side of Rose's bed. Deaton had arrived and was checking her pulse and other vital signs.

"Thank you for coming," Scott said. "I rather have you look at her than my mom. She would have asked too many questions and I don't want her finding out about Mexico. How's my sister?"

Lydia looked at him in surprise. It was the first time Scott had called her that. Scott met her eyes. On the long drive home, he thought about his family situation. Rose was his sister and he needed to accept it. He even decided that, despite the awkward circumstance with his father, mother, and aunt, he was glad Rose was his sibling.

"She's still weak but she's taken some pills and ate, which is helping her regain her strength," Deaton said.

"What's wrong with her? Why is she like this?" Lydia asked.

Rose stirred and her eyelids fluttered open. "Derek?"

"He's still at the Nemeton," Deaton said. "It's Dr. Deaton. You're here in your house with Scott and Lydia."

"What about Derek?" Rose asked. "Is he okay now? Did he wake up? I have to go see him." She tried to sit up but Scott pushed her gently back down.

"He's still in a coma," Scott said. "But he's alive Rose. That's what matters."

She smiled weakly. Deaton excused himself and went downstairs. Scott held Rose's hand.

"Don't try to take my pain away," Rose said. "I feel fine, so you'd be wasting your energy for nothing."

Scott found her assumption odd. "Okay, I won't. I'm glad you're okay. What happened to you? You had me worried."

When Rose closed her eyes and didn't answer, he decided to drop it, not wanting her to strain herself. Deaton came back upstairs with a teapot and a mug. He set them down on the nightstand next to the bed and poured the tea.

"Drink this," he said, giving the mug to Rose. "It's green tea infused with a plant that will help you feel better. I've added honey to sweeten it."

He helped her sit upright and Rose took the mug. She blew on the hot liquid and took a sip. Her face grimaced at the bitter taste. She swirled the mug and took another sip and this time, the taste of the honey was more prominent, allowing her to tolerate the bitterness of the tea. She drank a few gulps more and felt better, her hunger subsiding a little.

"How is it?" Lydia asked.

"I think it's helping," Rose said. She had a feeling the plant was blue wolfsbane. "Thank you," she told the vet.

"I'll get going," Deaton said. "Drink all of the tea. I've left some herbs in the kitchen so you can make some more later if you need it. Keep taking your pills and eat. When you're ready, go back to the Nemeton. I have a plan."

She nodded and Scott walked Deaton to the door.

"Make sure she drinks all of the tea," Deaton said.

"I will."

"And be careful, Scott. Kate might be on her way to Beacon Hills to finish what she started."

* * *

Several hours later, Scott and Rose rode on Scott's motorcycle back to the Nemeton. Rose had insisted that she see Derek. Although she still felt weak, she needed to be with him. She had eaten a large meal to appease her seemingly constant hunger, showered, and applied makeup to add life back to her face. When they arrived, Deaton, Morrell, Braeden, and Stiles were guarding Derek. Night had fallen and lanterns were hung on the hooks of the tent. Someone had built a fire, its flames casting eerie shadows.

Derek was visibly breathing and Braeden reported that his wound was almost fully healed. Scott touched Derek's face and felt some warmth in the flesh. He was glad his condition was improving.

"How are you feeling?" Morrell asked Rose.

"Much better," Rose said. "How's Derek?"

"He's healing," Morrell answered. "Let's talk. Scott? Can you and Stiles gather some more wood for the fire please?"

Scott and Stiles walked away from the group each carrying a flashlight.

"Do you get the feeling they're trying to get rid of us?" Scott asked Stiles, picking up a broken tree branch.

"There's something they're not telling us," Stiles said. "And I think it has something to do with Rose. She and Morrell keep disappearing into that tent. Lydia noticed it too, but all she said was that's where they kept the medicine. What are they up to and why don't they want us to know?"

"You know, I'm starting to think this has something to do with Rose's supernatural ability. Maybe she's some kind of healer," Scott said. "I heard her telling Morrell that she 'can have more.' Like Rose was giving her something."

Stiles stopped walking. "Like energy? Maybe she's not a succubus. Maybe she's the opposite of it and she gives energy to sick people. That's why she's all sick - she's exchanging her health for Derek's."

Scott agreed that it was a sound argument. He pictured Rose's unusually pale face resting on her pillow as she slept in her room. There were bags under her eyes and her lips had lost its natural redness. It was no coincidence that as she got sicker, Derek was healing.

Stiles took out his phone and called Lydia. "Lydia, hi. You're looking at the bestiary to find what Parrish is, right? Can you also look up healers?"

"Why healers?" Lydia asked on the other line.

"Scott and I think Rose is some kind of healer. It would explain why Meredith said 'She'll make the Alpha strong.' Also, see if there's an opposite counterpart of a succubus."

"I'll see what I can find," Lydia said.

Scott used his enhanced hearing to figure out what Rose and Morrell were saying. "I can't hear them talking." He heard the faint sound of fingers hitting a screen. "I think they're typing on their phones."

Back at the Nemeton, Morrell finished typing out her and Deaton's plan on her phone for Rose to read. She didn't want Scott to eavesdrop on them. Rose nodded, showing she understood. They prepared the medicine once more with Rose's fresh blood, hoping it would be the last time.

Scott and Stiles returned and dropped the pieces of wood they gathered into the fire. Rose and Morrell unzipped the tent and got out. Morrell carried the medicine in a test tube with a cork plugged into the opening. Scott carefully studied the liquid inside the glass.

It was dark red and smelled funny. It was like a whole bunch of strong scents mushed together into one strange smell and he could no longer make out each individual scent.

Deaton stood by Derek. "We need a catalyst to speed Derek's recovery," he told the others. "We'll burn Derek."

"What?" Braeden asked, clearly against the idea.

"He'll be fine," Deaton said. "It'll only be for a little bit, just enough to jumpstart his healing."

"Can't we break his arm or something?" Stiles asked.

"I'm afraid it'll be too big of an injury for him to handle at this state. He's still weak," Deaton said. He pulled on a thick glove on his right arm to protect himself. He took the test tube from his sister and held it over the fire. Once it was hot enough, Rose drew the liquid into a syringe and attached the needle for injecting. Scott thought she looked very medical as she worked confidently with skilled, gloved hands. She hovered over Derek and inserted the needle strategically into his chest, just as Morrell had done, and slowly pushed the plunger down. Her blood gradually entered his heart.

Once she was done, Deaton took a tree branch, lit it on fire, and swayed the branch from side to side on Derek's skin.

The group waited for a reaction but Derek stayed still. Scott and Stiles exchanged a glance. Scott knew Stiles was wondering the same thing he was - was Derek ever going to wake up?

"Let's take him back to the clinic," Deaton instructed. As they packed everything up, Scott sensed Derek's heart rate increasing rapidly.

"Deaton! Something's happening to Derek!" he yelled out.

Rose and Braeden ran to Derek's side. His eyes opened slowly.

"Derek!" they said together. Braeden announced that he was awake and embraced him.

Scott sensed that something was wrong. "Get away from him!" he yelled at the girls.

Derek's eyes glowed bright blue and Rose and Braeden jumped back, avoiding him. He rolled off the Nemeton with surprising speed. He clumsily freed himself from the blanket that Parrish had covered him with. Derek hunched over, yelling as if he was in pain, and stumbled towards the woods.

"Derek!" Scott yelled. He approached his friend carefully, but Derek took off in a run. Where he got all this energy from was anyone's guess. Scott chased after him, followed by the others.

Derek and Scott raced ahead, leaving everyone else behind. Derek finally stopped when he reached the edge of the lake. He bent over with the palm of his hands resting on his knees and breathed in and out heavily.

"Derek, it's me, Scott. What's wrong?" Scott asked from a safe distance.

With a loud yell, Derek fell onto his hands and knees. He lifted his head to the night sky, his eyes glowing, and began to transform. His bare back arched forward and began to expand. A mass of thick, black fur covered his whole back then spread to his chest. The cracking of bones as his body began to change sent shivers down Scott's back. Scott watched in amazement as Derek shifted into a full wolf, complete with four legs and a black bushy tail.

Scott heard his friends approaching behind him and turned around to stop them. "He's okay," he said, his arms outstretched with his palms facing them, signaling them to not come closer. "He transformed."

Rose, Stiles, Braeden, Morrell, and Deaton stood beside Scott, looking at the wolf in awe. Derek trotted towards them and showed them his glowing blue eyes. Although he looked like a wild beast, Scott could see the humanity behind his eyes, just as he did when he first found Malia in the woods. This was Derek Hale, his friend and mentor. Alive and a full wolf.

"He evolved," Deaton breathed. "I've only heard of this happening, but I've never seen it for myself. He looks just like Talia."

Derek raised his head up and howled at the moon.

"How is this possible?" Stiles asked, completely dumbfounded.

Scott turned to Rose. "You didn't just bring him back. You made him stronger."

Rose stared at Derek's new body, at the pointed ears, the slender legs. Her blood had done this and she was as curious as ever. "I can't believe it."

* * *

**Read on for the Epilogue...**


	14. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Epilogue**

"Tell Rogelio I said hi," Rose said into the phone.

"I will," her mother responded. "I love you very much, mija. And don't worry about your father. Everything will be fine."

"I know," Rose said. She said goodbye and hung up.

She relaxed on her couch and drank the wolfsbane-infused tea. It was a rare moment of peace and she wanted to take full advantage of it before life would throw itself out of balance again. Kate was still out there doing God knows what. They had to plan their next move and put an end to her quest for revenge against Scott.

Her phone chimed. It was Parrish asking if she was alright. She texted him back, saying she was getting better. She spent the day sleeping, taking the iron pills, and drinking the tea every so often. The buzzer sounded and Rose answered the door, wondering if Parrish was surprising her.

"Hey Derek," she greeted with a smile when she saw it was him instead. "How are you?" She was more than happy to see her best friend standing in her doorway, as healthy as ever. It was a sight she told herself to never take for granted.

"We need to talk," he said seriously, not waiting for an invitation to come in. "It's about this medicine you used on me."

Rose had told him what she and Morrell had done, leaving out the most important part - that the key ingredient was her wolfsbane blood.

"What about it?" she plopped back down on the couch and chugged the rest of her tea, hoping it wouldn't make him suspicious. Now that he had his sense of smell back, she didn't want him to detect the wolfsbane in the tea, despite it being only a small amount and mixed with green tea and honey.

If Derek thought her need to quench her thirst was strange, he didn't say so. He sat in the armchair he had forced her to sit in the night her name appeared on the dead pool. "I've been thinking a lot about how you resurrected me. I know it had to be more than just herbs and drugs. Braeden told me you got sick."

Rose didn't say anything. This is what she feared would happen. She hadn't come up with a good enough explanation, focusing more on her own health and well-being. She was hoping she had more time to figure things out.

"Even though I was in a coma, I still heard everything," Derek continued. "You told Morrell that she could have more. More what?"

"I gave her ingredients," Rose said truthfully.

Derek smirked. He knew Rose was no fool - she knew better than to lie to him now that he was a functional werewolf again. He knew Rose could manipulate her words to be the technical truth, even if there was another meaning behind them. He knew all her tricks.

"What kind of ingredients? Why were you sick?" Derek asked. He tried a different approach. "Rose, you and I have been friends for years. You can trust me, you can tell me anything. Haven't I proved to you that I can be trusted? I don't know why you're hiding."

Rose sighed and crossed her arms. She wanted to tell him everything, but Morrell had made her promise. If she told Derek the truth about her blood, he would want to find out more about it, and it would encourage her to experiment on her blood. But she had given Morrell her word and knew that looking into the matter would have consequences. She knew there was a reason why Laura went through the trouble of making them forget.

"Don't I have the right to know what you did to my body?" Derek asked when she stayed silent.

"Just leave it alone. It's over now. You're alive and your abilities are back. That's all that matters. If you continue this, you'll be going down a dangerous road. Alone," she said, emphasizing the last word. She stood up and walked to the door, opening it wide.

Derek didn't understand why she was being stubborn. Yes, he was glad he was alive with his abilities, but Rose didn't just restore him - she made him stronger. He had been reborn at the peak of his power. Even as an alpha, he wasn't as strong as he was now. He had spent hours in the woods testing out his new body. He had never felt so fast and his senses were heightened to a whole new level.

Meredith had said Rose made the alpha strong, just like in the past - a past that was taken from him. Derek didn't like secrets.

He walked towards her and Rose felt relieved that he was leaving. She knew he would ask about it again and she would have to find a better way to diffuse him, but she was still recovering from the ordeal they just had. She would be returning to work the next morning and needed to rest. She would come up with a solution to Derek's interest after consulting with Deaton and Morrell.

Instead of walking out the door, Derek closed it. To her surprise, he wrapped his long arms around her slim frame and hugged her. Confused but appreciating the gesture, Rose hugged him back. She was happy he was alive and well, that she hadn't failed him and his mother.

"I'm sorry," Derek said quietly.

Rose's lips curved up into a smile. It was a rare event for Derek to apologize and she glowed in the moment. Maybe he would really leave it alone after all. Maybe Derek would realize that accepting his miraculous recovery for what it was would be the right thing to do. They had bigger fish to fry and better questions to ask like what kind of supernatural Parrish was.

It happened so fast and without warning. In one swift move, Derek sank his claws in the flesh of Rose's neck, completely blindsiding her. His eyes glowed bright blue at the contact, two azure orbs looking through her mind. Rose gasped in pain as he searched through her memories of the last few days, revealing all the secrets she refused to tell.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! If you made it this far, thank you thank you thank you for making it to the end (and just in time for Season 5 tomorrow!). Did anyone guess what each chapter had in common? I challenged myself and started each chapter with the same word that it ends with. It took some creativity but I was able to do it for every single chapter.**

**I am currently working on the sequel to this story which goes more in depth on Rose's blood and what happened to Derek and Rose on prom night. I'll also reveal what exactly Meredith meant when she said "she'll make the Alpha strong." I have big plans for Scott and we'll get to see him grow as an alpha.**

**So excited for Season 5!**


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